Professor Monray Williams is an Associate Professor and Co-Head of the Neurometabolism Research Group at North-West University. His research focuses on understanding how HIV genetic diversity influences HIV-associated brain injury, contributing to a deeper understanding of the neurological complications associated with HIV infection. Prof Williams obtained his BSc (Honours) and MSc in Biotechnology from the University of the Western Cape before completing his PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Cape Town in 2021. He has published 37 peer-reviewed journal articles and three book chapters, including invited articles in leading international journals such as Nature Reviews Microbiology and Nature Reviews Neuroscience. He has also contributed to more than 20 scientific conferences and supervised one PhD and four MSc graduates.

Prof Williams serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Inflammation Research, is Secretary of the South African Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and serves as a Council Member of the Southern African Neuroscience Society. His achievements have been recognised through several prestigious honours, including the Fulbright Visiting Research Scholar Award and recognition as one of the Mail & Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans.