Bio

Gavin received his B.Sc. in Biochemistry (First Class Honors) from the University of Wales and completed his PhD with Dr Alan Berry at the University of Leeds. He then completed a postdoctoral position at UW-Madison with Prof. Jon Thorson, was appointed Assistant Professor at NC State in 2009, promoted to Associate Professor in 2015, and was promoted to Professor in 2020. He received the NSF CAREER Award in 2013, was named a University Faculty Scholar in 2015 and LORD Distinguished Scholar in 2019, and received the Chancellor’s Innovation Award in 2016 and 2020. He was also the Department Head from 2021 to 2025.

Reprogramming Natural Product Biosynthesis for Drug Discovery

The Williams Group combines biology and organic chemistry to create new complex molecules through natural product synthetic biology. The group develops gene-to-molecules pipelines that reveal how natural products are biosynthesized, reprogram those pathways to generate new analogues, and connect molecular structure to biological function. Research efforts include engineering modular terpene and polyketide biosynthetic systems, developing artificial enzyme pathways to access new-to-nature isoprenoids, and expanding the chemical diversity of natural products through pathway redesign and directed evolution. A key innovation is the use of genetically encoded biosensors that enable high-throughput, data-driven engineering of complex biosynthetic pathways that are otherwise difficult to rationally manipulate. Together, these approaches form a powerful platform for discovering and diversifying bioactive molecules relevant to drug discovery, biotechnology, and chemical biology.