Ellen D. Williams (scientist) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ellen D. Williams ForMemRS
Williams in 2016
Born	(1953-12-05) December 5, 1953 (age 71) Oshkosh, Wisconsin, U.S.
Alma mater	Michigan State University (BS) Caltech (PhD)
Awards	Member of the National Academy of Sciences (2005) Foreign Member of the Royal Society (2016)
Scientific career
Institutions	University of Maryland BP
Thesis	Studies of chemical adsorption using low energy electron diffraction (1982)
Doctoral advisor	William Henry Weinberg

Ellen D. Williams (born December 5, 1953) is an American scientist. She is well-known for her important work with very tiny materials, called nanotechnology. She also helped the U.S. government with science advice for national security. Dr. Williams was also the chief scientist for a large energy company, BP, and led a government agency called ARPA-E.

Early Life and Education

Ellen D. Williams was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 1953. She grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. She went to Michigan State University and earned her first degree in chemistry in 1976. Later, she got her PhD in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology in 1981. Her research there was about how chemicals stick to surfaces.

Career Highlights

After her PhD, Dr. Williams did more research at the University of Maryland. She became a professor there in 1991. She studied how solid surfaces are shaped and how they change. She also started and led a research group focused on materials science from 1991 to 2009. In 2000, she became a "distinguished university professor." This is a special title for top professors.

In 2010, Dr. Williams took a break from the university. She became the chief scientist at BP, a big energy company. She worked there until 2014.

Later, President Barack Obama asked her to lead ARPA-E. This is a government agency that funds new energy technologies. She was confirmed for this role in December 2014. She led ARPA-E until January 2017. After that, she returned to her professor job at the University of Maryland. In 2020, she became the director of the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center at the University of Maryland.

Academic Research

Dr. Williams's research focuses on the science of surfaces. She studies how atoms and molecules behave on surfaces. This helps us understand how to make new materials, especially for nanotechnology. Her team used special tools to take pictures of tiny structures on surfaces. This helped them understand how materials work at a very small scale. Her work has helped scientists learn more about things like catalysis (speeding up chemical reactions) and how thin films grow. She has written over 200 scientific articles.

Advising the U.S. Government

Besides her university work, Dr. Williams has given a lot of scientific advice to the U.S. government. She worked with the Departments of Energy and Defense. For example, she led a study about how to check for nuclear testing. This report helped decision-makers understand how well we can detect such activities. She is also the vice-chair of JASON. This is a group of independent scientists who advise the U.S. government on important science and technology issues.

Work at BP

As chief scientist at BP, Dr. Williams helped guide their technology programs. She also worked on strategic research. She encouraged BP to use advanced computer methods in chemistry and data analysis. She also led a research program about how natural resources affect energy. This program created booklets about energy resources like water and biomass. Dr. Williams has often talked about the need for new science and technology to provide the energy the world needs in a sustainable way.

Work at the Department of Energy

Before leading ARPA-E, Dr. Williams advised the Secretary of Energy. She helped create a new office to help move new technologies from government research labs into the economy.

At ARPA-E, Dr. Williams worked to make the agency more efficient. She helped teams get their new energy technologies ready for the market. She also started a series of reports to show the impact of ARPA-E's projects. These reports explain the challenges, achievements, and how these new technologies can help solve energy problems.

Awards and Honors

Dr. Williams has received many awards for her scientific work. In 2016, she was elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society of London. This is a very high honor for scientists. Other awards include: