Alan Williams FRS (25 May 1945 – 9 April 1992)[1] was an Australian immunologist noted for his work on the identification and characterization of cell surface receptors that defined different classes of lymphocytes.
[citation needed] Following his graduate work he moved to the department of Biochemistry at the University of Oxford in the UK to perform post-doctoral studies with Professor Rodney Porter.
[3][1] The success linked to this work on Thy1 prompted Williams to expand the search for surface molecules on lymphocytes that could be used to characterize these cells.
[6] His group also demonstrated that Thy1 was retained on the cell surface through a lipid anchor rather than via transmembrane domains, something which had not previously been appreciated but which is now known to be a feature of many receptors.
[1] Famously, he demolished the office of Professor Jim Gowans to make way for more laboratory space upon taking over as head of the Cellular Immunology Unit.