Williams is a research ecologist for the Seascape Ecology and Analytics Branch. Her research is focused on using spatial ecology to inform management and decision making in the coastal ocean. She has expertise in quantitative ecology, acoustic telemetry, long-term monitoring, and data visualization.
Williams started with NCCOS in 2018 as a Sea Grant Knauss Fellow. Prior to joining NCCOS, Williams received her MS in marine science from Virginia Institute of Marine Science and BS in biological sciences from Florida State University. Her research since joining NCCOS has covered a variety of topics including marine protected area efficacy, fish habitat utilization, restoration impacts, risk assessment for offshore wind, coral reef monitoring, and resiliency, often in collaborative efforts. She is an experienced field biologist and scientific diver. Williams also specializes in bringing together varied data streams to efficiently and reproducibly answer management-relevant research questions.