Dr. Brian Williams is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geosciences, an affiliate faculty with African American Studies, and a member of the Gulf Scholars Program faculty at Mississippi State. As a human geographer and political ecologist, his research is concerned with the ways that racism and social inequalities shape southern environments, landscapes, and spaces; as well as how individuals and communities make sense of and address socio-environmental injustices. He teaches courses ranging from Political Ecology, Cultural Geography, and Human Geography to Geographies of the United States South and Latin America. His work has been published in a wide range of scholarly journals including Annals of the American Association of Geographers, Dialogues in Human Geography, Southern Cultures, Environmental Humanities, and Nature & Space. He currently serves as co-editor of the Southeastern Geographer.

As Co-Principal Investigator, Dr. Williams' roles include conducting and coordinating scientific research, as well as contributing to community partnerships and workforce development efforts.