Julie Williams

PROFESSOR OF NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCES, DIRECTOR, DEMENTIA INSTITUTE, CARDIFF UNIVERSITY, FORMER CHIEF SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR FOR WALES

Julie Williams was born in Merthyr Tydfil, brought up in Cefn Coed, and studied Psychology at Cardiff University. A senior figure in the field of Alzheimer’s disease research, Williams’ work on the first new susceptibility genes for 17 years was cited by TIME as one of the top ten medical breakthroughs of 2009. Since then, she has established her own Scientific Advisory Council, become one of the four leaders of the International Genomics of Alzheimer’s Project (IGAP) genetics consortium, and also commissioned a report on women in science published in 2016 (Talented Women for a Successful Wales), which focused on the recruitment and retention of women, as well as their encouraging into leadership roles.