Jon Williams

Senior Research Physiologist, Research Branch of the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL)/NIOSH/CDC


Dr. W. Jon Williams is currently a Senior Research Physiologist in the Research Branch of the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL)/NIOSH/CDC. Dr. Williams has 31 years of experience in human experimental physiology beginning with a National Academies/National Research Council Resident Research Associateship (post-doc) at the NASA Johnson Space Center in the Medical Sciences Division. Dr. Williams was then hired by a NASA contractor (Wyle Life Sciences) as a Senior Research Scientist/Section Supervisor of the Exercise Physiology Laboratory. Dr. Williams conducting studies on the effects of simulated and actual microgravity on human physiology. In 2003, he was recruited to the NPPTL to establish a human research capability which included the Human Physiology, Biochemistry, and Thermo-Physiology Laboratories. Dr. Williams has mentored 2 NRC post-doctoral fellows, supervised the research of a PhD student (University of Cincinnati), recruited and mentored several junior physiologists and had served as PI on a dozen physiological research protocols involving the physiological burden imposed by personal protective ensembles (PPE). Dr. Williams served as the Lead, Human Factors and Ergonomics Team at the NPPTL for 4 years.

Dr. Williams has active collaborations with faculty at the University of Cincinnati, researchers at the US Army Corps of Engineers, the US Army Research Laboratories, the US Army Natick Soldier Center, North Carolina State University, and has been associated with the Korey Stringer Institute of the University of Connecticut for several years. Dr. Williams has also served as a scientific consultant for 6 commercial interests primarily developing wireless physiological monitoring systems and personal cooling systems to be worn with PPE. Dr. Williams served as a scientific expert on the International Standards Organization (ISO) Project Group 5 for 10 years and authored two technical specifications for that group that were used in the development of ISO respiratory protection standards.

Dr. Williams has served on national/international standards organizations, co-authored a revision of a NIOSH [2016] document on occupational heat stress and has authored/co-authored a total of ~125 peer-reviewed scientific articles, conference papers/abstracts, book chapters, and government documents.

Dr. Williams received BS and MS degrees in Biology from San Diego State University and MS and PhD degrees in Physiology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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