Dudley Howard Williams FRS (25 May 1937 – 3 November 2010) was a British biochemist known for utilizing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry in the study of molecular structure, especially the antibiotic vancomycin.

[2] Williams' research for a PhD was on the synthesis of Vitamin D and related compounds, under the supervision of Basil Lythgoe, FRS at Leeds; his degree was awarded in 1961.

That same year he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and moved to Stanford University to work with Carl Djerassi exploring the application of mass spectrometry (MS) in organic chemistry.

He used the evenings to investigate the use of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) on a 100 MHz instrument with Norman Bhacca at nearby Varian Associates.

[5] In December 1962 Djerassi gave Williams three months' leave to go back to England to marry Lorna Patricia Phyllis (always known as Pat) Bedford, whom he had met at Leeds.