Associate Professor Richard Williams works in the field of regenerative medicine, where he develops naturally inspired nanostructured materials to guide the formation of new tissue, drug delivery, and tissue-engineered constructs via biofabrication.
He has an extensive track record developing sophisticated nanoscaffolds for a variety of applications, including biomedical and surface science. His research is highly collaborative, with many of his studies being carried out across multiple labs.
Tell us about your research in regenerative medicine.
Although the body has an incredible capacity to regenerate, the damage caused by injury or disease can be beyond its ability to self-repair. My research is focussed on restoring the body’s ability to repair itself by making synthetic analogues of the scaffolding – the extracellular matrix. This is a specific material that supports cells, and we are using designed mimics of this to restore function to the tissue.
We have the opportunity to work with chemists, engineers and biologists to design new treatments for a range of debilitating conditions.
Currently, we are working on materials that allow the transplantation of cells to dystrophic muscles; in-situ reprogramming of the host astrocytic response to form new neurons; treatments for Parkinson’s disease; 3D printed bladders; tools for repairing the damage caused by prenatal stroke; and ways to restore bone and cartilage.
What sparked your interest in this research?
When I was young, I had a pretty bad sporting injury. The specialist at the time told me it would get better, or it wouldn’t; there wasn’t much they could do. I thought that couldn’t be the end of it, so I became interested in how the body fits together. I have always had an interest in how things work on a fundamental level. I like to examine systems and understand how things fit together.
During my undergraduate career, I was introduced to the concept of biotechnology, where mechanisms could be introduced into cells to turn them into little factories. Later I worked at Imperial College and the Medical Research Council in the UK, before changing fields to do a PhD in Nanomaterials at Manchester University.
Since then, I have applied these concepts and built my understanding with a range of roles: at CSIRO, in industry, and in a school of engineering. I have put all these pieces together to make simple, bio-inspired systems that contain within them the ability to control how tissues grow and develop.
How is the research being received?
Some of the work we have been doing to repair ischemic stroke has attracted a great deal of interest from patients and clinicians. Although our transplantable therapies are not yet ready for human trials, we have secured several patents in the area, which are moving closer to the clinic.
I represented RMIT as part of an inter-institutional team that set up the very first biofabrication facility within a hospital in Australia. This has since grown to become a $200 million building that is about to open at St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne. More recently, I have been working with Indian institutes to try to develop sustainable biomedical devices, where we use sustainable feedstocks to produce advanced materials.
We have just secured two postdocs to work in this area, and it can have a real impact in improving agricultural waste, providing sustainable industry and opening new avenues of healthcare. I also once made an entirely new formulation of caramel for Cadbury, which was a delicious diversion.
What does an average working week look like for you?
Typically, I spend a lot of time working with experts across Deakin, both nationally and internationally, which means I need an understanding of multiple fields and terminologies. I can be talking to a global biotech firm, or a clinician, or lecturing a class of undergraduates. Sometimes it can be challenging to change gear, but it means no two meetings are the same!
Tell us more about your collaborations.
I currently collaborate internationally with India, China, the US, and the UK. It is important to maintain as wide a perspective as possible.
My research is always interdisciplinary. This means I have always worked with colleagues from different fields. I met my closest collaborator, Prof David Nisbet from Melbourne, when we were postdocs, straight out of our PhDs.
We found we had complementary skills, and so we started to work on a couple of projects together. Although we have both changed institutions multiple times, 15 years later we are still going strong, which shows the importance of building sustainable relationships.
What have been some of the highlights of your career so far?
During my PhD I contributed to world-first research in self- assembled materials. I was able to use this to win Australian Research Council and National Health and Medical Research Council grants, and an Alfred Deakin fellowship at Deakin.
Although I’ve won awards for research, teaching, and supervision at CSIRO, RMIT and Deakin, I prefer to mentor the next generation of scientists, including alumni from my group work across the globe. I hope my mentorship has accelerated their career trajectories. Indeed, recently one of my former students graduated a PhD student of their own, which makes me feel both proud and old.
A particular highlight of 2024 was taking my group to South Korea for the World Biomaterials Congress. We made a major impact, with five oral and poster presentations, and this has led to new collaborations springing up globally.
What is 2025 looking like for you?
This year I am focussing on collaboration and translation. I have secured an industrially-funded research program via the Marine Bioproducts Cooperative Research Centre, and I have two new postdocs working on sustainable materials for healthcare. We have started a new collaboration with India, the US and Australian Industry to create 4D hydrogel wound dressings for chronic wounds.
