Charlotte Williams

Williams studied chemistry at Imperial College London, graduating with a Bachelor's degree in chemistry. She completed a PhD with Vernon C. Gibson and Nick Long.{{Cite web|url=http://www.rsc.org/ScienceAndTechnology/Awards/CordayMorganPrizes/2016-Winner-Williams.asp|title=RSC Corday-Morgan Prize 2016 Winner|website=www.rsc.org|access-date=2018-05-18}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.ch.ic.ac.uk/williams/Academic%20family%20tree%20-%20CKW.pdf|title=Academic Family Tree|access-date=2018-05-18}}

Williams joined the University of Cambridge as a postdoctoral research associate working with Andrew Bruce Holmes and Richard Friend.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ch.ic.ac.uk/williams/index.html|title=The Williams Research Group, Imperial College London|website=www.ch.ic.ac.uk|access-date=2018-05-18}} Here she focused on the synthesis of electroactive polymers. She then moved to the University of Minnesota, working in the group of Marc Hillymer and William Tollman on zinc catalysis.{{Cite journal|last1=Williams|first1=Charlotte K.|last2=Breyfogle|first2=Laurie E.|last3=Choi|first3=Sun Kyung|last4=Nam|first4=Wonwoo|last5=Young|first5=Victor G.|last6=Hillmyer|first6=Marc A.|last7=Tolman|first7=William B.|date=September 2003|title=A Highly Active Zinc Catalyst for the Controlled Polymerization of Lactide|journal=Journal of the American Chemical Society|volume=125|issue=37|pages=11350–11359|doi=10.1021/ja0359512|pmid=16220958|issn=0002-7863}}

In 2003 Williams was appointed to Imperial College London as a lecturer.{{Cite web|url=https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/c.k.williams|title=Home - PROFESSOR CHARLOTTE K. WILLIAMS|website=www.imperial.ac.uk|access-date=2018-05-18}} She was appointed a Senior Lecturer in 2007, a Reader in 2009 and a Professor in 2012. Here she developed sugar-based biodegradable polymers that were produced from lignocellulosic biomass.{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/environment/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401234911/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/environment/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2016-04-01|title=Environment|date=2016-03-30|work=The Telegraph|access-date=2018-05-18|issn=0307-1235}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/84962/compostable-plastics-have-sweet-ending/|title=Compostable Plastics Have a Sweet Ending {{!}} Imperial News {{!}} Imperial College London|work=Imperial News|access-date=2018-05-18}} During her time at Imperial she was an inventor of several granted patents.

She joined Trinity College, Oxford, in 2016.{{Cite web|url=https://www.trinity.ox.ac.uk/people/charlotte-k-williams/|title=Trinity College – Charlotte Williams|last=Oneltd|website=www.trinity.ox.ac.uk|access-date=2018-05-18}} Her research focuses on metal complexes for use in homogeneous polymerisation catalysis. She identified catalysts that could use carbon dioxide as a raw material for polymers, which prompted Williams to start Econic Technologies. Econic Technologies has received more than £13 million in funding.{{Cite news|url=http://econic-technologies.com/about-us/|title=About us – Econic|work=Econic|access-date=2018-05-18}}{{Cite news|url=http://econic-technologies.com/news/team/prof-charlotte-williams/|title=Prof. Charlotte Williams – Econic|work=Econic|access-date=2018-05-18}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.imperialinnovations.co.uk/impact/case-studies/econic-technologies-breathing-new-life-polymer-pro/|title=Econic Technologies - breathing new life into polymer production|website=www.imperialinnovations.co.uk|access-date=2018-05-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913073736/https://www.imperialinnovations.co.uk/impact/case-studies/econic-technologies-breathing-new-life-polymer-pro/|archive-date=2018-09-13|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|url=http://oilandgasclimateinitiative.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Econic-Technologies-Funding-round-completion.pdf|title=Econic Technologies pioneering technology to help fight climate change|date=2018|website=Oil and Gas Climate Initiative|access-date=2018-05-18}} She also identified transition metal complex catalysts, biorenewable polymers and liquid fuel production.{{Cite web|url=http://research.chem.ox.ac.uk/charlotte-williams.aspx|title=Charlotte Williams - Research Guides|website=research.chem.ox.ac.uk|access-date=2018-05-18|archive-date=19 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180519033757/http://research.chem.ox.ac.uk/charlotte-williams.aspx|url-status=dead}} She has developed switchable catalysts that allow the combination of monomers into block copolymers.{{Cite journal|last1=Stößer|first1=T.|last2=Chen|first2=T. T. D.|last3=Zhu|first3=Y.|last4=Williams|first4=C. K.|date=2018-01-13|title='Switch' catalysis: from monomer mixtures to sequence-controlled block copolymers |journal=Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A|volume=376|issue=2110|pages=20170066|doi=10.1098/rsta.2017.0066 |pmc=5719223|pmid=29175903}}{{Cite journal|last1=Zhu|first1=Yunqing|last2=Radlauer|first2=Madalyn R.|last3=Schneiderman|first3=Deborah K.|last4=Shaffer|first4=Milo S. P.|last5=Hillmyer|first5=Marc A.|last6=Williams|first6=Charlotte K.|date=2018-03-19|title=Multiblock Polyesters Demonstrating High Elasticity and Shape Memory Effects|journal=Macromolecules|volume=51|issue=7|pages=2466–2475|doi=10.1021/acs.macromol.7b02690|bibcode=2018MaMol..51.2466Z |s2cid=104242028 |issn=0024-9297|url=https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:64aea35b-fe0d-4593-b75e-a51ff34acdc0}} Working with Milo Shaffer at Imperial College London, Williams uses nanoparticles in polymer composites.{{Cite journal|last1=García-Trenco|first1=A.|last2=White|first2=E. R.|last3=Shaffer|first3=M. S. P.|last4=Williams|first4=C. K.|date=2016|title=A one-step Cu/ZnO quasi-homogeneous catalyst for DME production from syn-gas|journal=Catalysis Science & Technology|volume=6|issue=12|pages=4389–4397|doi=10.1039/c5cy01994j|issn=2044-4753|hdl=10044/1/29091|url=http://spiral.imperial.ac.uk/bitstream/10044/1/29091/2/Accepted%20manuscript.pdf|hdl-access=free}} She is a member of the London Centre for Nanotechnology.{{Cite web|url=https://www.london-nano.com/our-people/%5Bfield_people_section-raw%5D/charlotte-williams|title=Charlotte Williams {{!}} London Centre for Nanotechnology|website=www.london-nano.com|access-date=2018-05-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180519033118/https://www.london-nano.com/our-people/%5Bfield_people_section-raw%5D/charlotte-williams|archive-date=2018-05-19|url-status=dead}}

She appears regularly in the media, including on BBC Radio 4's In Our Time{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b018grhm|title=Macromolecules, In Our Time - BBC Radio 4|website=BBC|access-date=2018-05-18}} and at museums and festivals.{{Cite news|url=http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_8-1-2014-16-2-22|title=New chemistry could make it easier to design materials to order {{!}} Imperial News {{!}} Imperial College London|work=Imperial News|access-date=2018-05-18}}{{Cite news|url=http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_8-5-2015-15-24-49|title=Children explore vanishing glass and power of brainwaves at Festival Schools Day {{!}} Imperial News {{!}} Imperial College London|work=Imperial News|access-date=2018-05-18}} In 2015 she won the WISE Campaign research award for her eco-plastics start-up.{{Cite news|url=http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_13-11-2015-17-15-22/|title=Imperial chemist receives WISE award for eco-plastics start-up {{!}} Imperial News {{!}} Imperial College London|work=Imperial News|access-date=2018-05-18}}

In June 2024, Williams was appointed to the Professorship of Inorganic Chemistry, one of the five Statutory Professorships in Chemistry at the University of Oxford and took up a fellowship of St Catherine's College.

• 2021 Royal Society Elected fellow{{Cite web|title=Oxford Researchers elected to Royal Society {{!}} University of Oxford|url=https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2021-05-07-oxford-researchers-elected-royal-society|access-date=2021-05-08|website=www.ox.ac.uk|language=en}}
• 2018 Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker Otto Roelen Medal{{Cite news|url=http://dechema.de/en/Otto+Roelen+Medal.html|title=DECHEMA {{!}} Gesellschaft für Chemische Technik und Biotechnologie e.V.|access-date=2018-05-18|language=de}}
• 2017 UK Catalysis Hub Sir John Meurig Thomas Catalysis Medal{{Cite web|url=https://www.trinity.ox.ac.uk/outstanding-achievement-award/|title=Trinity College – Outstanding Achievement Award|last=Oneltd|website=www.trinity.ox.ac.uk|access-date=2018-05-18|archive-date=19 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180519042157/https://www.trinity.ox.ac.uk/outstanding-achievement-award/|url-status=dead}}
• 2016 Royal Society of Chemistry Corday-Morgan Prize
• 2015 WISE Campaign Research Award
• 2011 Bio-Environmental Polymer Society Outstanding Young Scientist Award{{Cite news|url=http://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/103269/dr-charlotte-williams-wins-outstanding-young/|title=Dr Charlotte Williams wins outstanding young scientist award {{!}} Imperial News {{!}} Imperial College London|work=Imperial News|access-date=2018-05-18}}
• 2009 Royal Society of Chemistry Energy, Environment and Sustainability Early Career Award{{Cite web|url=http://www.rsc.org/ScienceAndTechnology/Awards/ESEDEarlyCareerAward/previouswinner.asp|title=ESED Early Career Award Previous Winner|website=www.rsc.org|access-date=2018-05-18}}
• 2005 Royal Society of Chemistry Meldola Medal and Prize{{Cite web|url=http://www.rsc.org/ScienceAndTechnology/Awards/Archive/Meldola/|title=RSC Awards Archive - Meldola Medal and Prize|website=www.rsc.org|access-date=2018-05-18}}
• 2001 Royal Society of Chemistry Laurie Verangno Award{{Cite web|url=https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/c.k.williams/honours-and-memberships.html|title=Honours and Memberships - PROFESSOR CHARLOTTE K. WILLIAMS|website=www.imperial.ac.uk|access-date=2018-05-18}}

Williams was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to chemistry.{{London Gazette|issue=63135|supp=y|page=B15|date=10 October 2020}}

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Category:21st-century British scientists

Category:21st-century British women scientists

Category:British women chemists

Category:Inorganic chemists

Category:Alumni of Imperial College London

Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire

Category:Fellows of the Royal Society

Category:Statutory Professors of the University of Oxford