Rate My Professor Bradley Williams

Professor Bradley Williams served as Pro Vice-Chancellor (University Impact) at the University of Wollongong from October 2023 to December 2024. He holds an MSc and PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Johannesburg. His principal research area is sustainable chemistry, with a passion for translating research into value and benefits for society and the environment. As a senior academic in South Africa, he collaborated with Sasol on two world-first commercialisations of process improvements at a 100,000 tons per annum scale, attracting investments exceeding US$500 million and reducing negative environmental impacts. In 2011, he moved to New Zealand to lead a commercial research endeavour in the high value food sector, managing over 200 industry-focused projects that resulted in two spin-out companies and six new product lines, while also uplifting internal research capabilities and engaging strategically with industry and government.

In 2016, Professor Williams took a senior leadership role at the University of Technology Sydney, where he expanded capacity for external engagement and spearheaded strategic partnerships with industry and government. He initiated the NSW Defence Innovation Network in 2017, which grew to include nine university members across NSW and the ACT, including the University of Wollongong, and by September 2023 was responsible for over $35 million in annual R&D. The network has delivered impactful defence capabilities, such as DroneShield products exported to Ukraine for drone attack defence and Advanced Navigation technology used in NASA’s lunar lander missions. At the University of Wollongong, within the broader science discipline, he advanced the institution’s impact agenda to benefit society, industry, government, and the environment through his focus on sustainable chemistry and innovation translation.