Professor Williamson received a B.S. degree in Pharmacy from the University of Mississippi, a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Products Chemistry from the University of Iowa, and served as a National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Research Associate in bacterial evolutionary genetics at Yale University. He joined the faculty of the School of Pharmacy in 1989. Since that time, he has been continually active in research, teaching and service activities. He has served as a expert reviewer on more than 25 federal research panels, as an expert editor for approximately 30 different research journals and publishing houses, as well as associate editor, book review editor, and editorial advisory board member for a variety of internationally circulated research journals. Williamson currently serves as an expert editorial advisory board member for Time-Warner’s prestigious Health magazine, the most widely circulated women’s health publication. He currently serves as a consultant for two Biotechnology Companies as well as the Gerson Lehrman Group Councils, and the Science Advisory Board. Williamson has served as an expert advisor and professional witness in various legal matters and disputes. His articles on traditional natural remedies have appeared in the Redbook, Drug Topics, Pharmacy Times, Hospital Pharmacy and Hospital Pharmacist, have been referenced in drug patents, a variety of professional medical publications and websites, as well as Harvard’s Legal Education Document Archive. Williamson was awarded the School of Pharmacy’s prestigious Research Award in 2006. His research interests are varied, including anticancer agents, antimicrobial agents and synthetic methodologies. Williamson received his first research proposal within six months of his appointment at the University. The ORSP database shows that since coming to the University, he has submitted more than 100 proposals as PI of which ~50 were funded and resulted in ~60 individual awards. Professor Williamson has served as the Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-Investigator (co-PI) on approximately 30 different extramural awards grants totaling approximately $50M. His research-directed awards total >$32M, his graduate stipend-directed awards total ~$15.7M, his undergraduate-directed awards total ~$165.0K, and his high school student and teacher-directed awards total ~$80,000. The almost all of these awards have been competitive NIH research (R-type) awards. Williamson has published more than 350 research manuscripts, continuing education articles, research abstracts, book chapters, and scientific book reviews, several of which have been translated into foreign languages. He is the recipient of research investigator awards from the American Society of Pharmacognosy and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. Williamson has been invited to present his work both nationally and internationally. Most recently he has been invited to present his work in institutions in China, India, Iran, England, Brazil and Turkey. Some of his current research interests focuses on: a collaboration with the University of Arizona in the examination of fungal endophytes for their potential to share biosynthetic pathways involved in the production of bioactive products; the development of an anti-anthrax directed drug delivery system in a in-house anthrax spore germinating bioassay; and synthetic techniques involved with reductive aminations, the most common synthetic organic reaction used in the production of drug molecules. Recently, he has been offered the opportunity of having this work featured on the cover of the journal Tetrahedron. Williamson has served as a University of Mississippi student advisor for the School of Pharmacy, the Sally McDonald Barksdale Honors College, and the University for ~18 years, and as a liaison to regional Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He is a member of more than 15 professional scientific and pharmacy associations, and is listed in the Who’s Who of University Teaching Professors and Executives and Professionals. Williamson has served as Chairperson of the University’s Faculty Senate twice, the local section of the American Chemical Society and the Scientific Research Society Sigma Xi, and the faculty advisor to the Student National Pharmaceutical Association, Rho Chi, Phi Delta Chi, and a board member of Phi Kappa Phi.