Alwyn Williams

Alwyn Williams is a Senior Lecturer in Agronomy in the School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, Faculty of Science, at the University of Queensland. He holds a Bachelor (Honours) of Biology and a Masters (Coursework) of Forest Science from Imperial College London, and a Doctor of Philosophy of Forestry from the University of Canterbury. Williams has been in his current position since September 2017. Previously, he served as a Researcher in the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture at the University of Maryland from December 2016 to July 2017, and as a Research Associate in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics at the University of Minnesota from April 2014 to November 2016.

Williams's research focuses on soil health in cropping and pasture systems, specialising in soil carbon and soil organic matter dynamics, microbial ecology, and plant-soil interactions. He examines the impacts of agronomic interventions including tillage, cover cropping, crop rotational diversity, nutrient management, and organic amendments on soil functional processes, crop development, and productivity. His expertise encompasses designing and analyzing field and glasshouse experiments and implementing advanced statistical models using R. He has authored or co-authored 81 works between 2010 and 2024, including 55 journal articles and 2 book chapters, with over 2,000 citations. Key publications include van der Bom, F. J. T. et al. (2024) 'Root angle, phosphorus, and water: interactions and effects on durum wheat genotype performance in drought-prone environments' (Plant and Soil); Garba, I. I. et al. (2024) 'Optimizing ecosystem function multifunctionality with cover crops for improved agronomic and environmental outcomes in dryland cropping systems' (Agricultural Systems); Garba, I. I. et al. (2024) 'Cover crop functional types alter soil nematode community composition and structure in dryland crop-fallow rotations' (Applied Soil Ecology); Pasley, H. et al. (2024) 'Achieving stable and sustainable Mungbean yields in Australia via optimal sowing dates' (Field Crops Research); Williams, A. et al. (2022) 'Decline in soil fertility and biological diversity' (book chapter); and Williams, A. et al. (2020) 'Resilient and dynamic soil biology' (book chapter). Williams maintains positive relationships with national and international collaborators and publishes in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Professional Email: alwyn.williams@uq.edu.au