[1][2] He produced pioneering research on pesticide use in forests and insect-host relationships, including bark beetles, spruce budworms and other invasive species.
[3] He was initially denied admission to the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources, but appealed the decision after he discovered that a white student with lower grades had been accepted.
[6] His studies concerning spruce budworms contributed to the Environmental Protection Agency's approval of alternatives to DDT against the pest.
[2] While in New Haven, he joined the faculty of the Yale School of Forestry, serving as the first African American in the environmental sciences department.
[1] In 1972, Williams moved to the Berkeley, California to design and conduct field tests of experimental insecticides against forest-defoliating insects.
[5] After leaving the Forest Service, Williams was appointed a senior lecturer in the Department of Forestry and Range Management at University of California, Berkeley.
[3] He served as a member of the National Science Foundation, the Urban League Black Executives Exchange, and as a youth counselor for the NAACP.
[4] In 2021, the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability established the Dr. Carroll B. Williams Fund for Black Excellence.