Dr. Krystal L. Williams is an Assistant Professor of Higher Education at the University of Georgia Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education. Her research explores the use of public policies to promote college success for underrepresented students, with an emphasis on the interplay between policy initiatives and students’ various psychosocial factors. Recently, her work has focused on these issues as they relate to (1) broadening participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) for underrepresented groups, and (2) reducing students’ economic and academic strains in college.

Prior to joining the University of Georgia, Dr. Williams was a faculty member at the University of Alabama, as well as a Senior Research Associate at the United Negro College Fund Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute (UNCF FDPRI). She currently serves as the Director of the Education Policy and Equity Research Collaborative (Ed_PERC) which advances policy-relevant, equity-focused research on marginalized groups. In addition, Dr. Williams is a research affiliate with the Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy at the University of Michigan.

Dr. Williams was a former American Educational Research Association (AERA) Postdoctoral Fellow at Educational Testing Service. She also served as a Research Assistant at the University of Michigan National Center for Institutional Diversity (NCID), and an Institutional Research Analyst at Washtenaw Community College.

Dr. Williams was also an AERA Minority Dissertation Fellow in Education Research, an Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) Academic Fellow, and a member of the Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society. She is a member of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), as well as the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE). She attended the University of Michigan where she completed her doctoral studies in Higher Education and Public Policy in the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education. She also attended Clark Atlanta University where she earned a BS and MS in mathematics and graduated valedictorian.