Dr. Kimberly Williams is an Assistant Professor in the Environmental and Health Sciences Program at Spelman College. She attended Johnson C. Smith University where she majored in Biology and minored in Chemistry. She received her PhD in neuroscience from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. After graduate school, Kimberly completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. As a viral neuroimmunologist, Dr. Williams’ research investigates how HIV and stress affect the brain during aging, with hopes of creating new targeted therapeutics for mental health disorders influenced by neuroinflammation such as HIV associated neurocognitive disorders and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Dr. Williams has published over 10 publications and received multiple grants for the National Institute of Health and private agencies. Dr. Williams was honored with the young investigators award twice from the Society on Neuroimmune Pharmacology and the International Society for Neurovirology. She is highly involved in community outreach and has been the featured scientist at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. Dr. Williams has devoted her career to mentoring young scientist while increasing diversity in the sciences and developing novel therapeutic options for those living with neuroinflammatory disorders.