Dr. Krystal Williams

Biography

Krystal L. Williams is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She serves as the Director and Principal Investigator of the Education Policy Equity Research Collective (Ed_PERC), focusing on issues related to race and public policy, particularly in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Her research emphasizes broadening participation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields among marginalized groups. Dr. Williams' work has garnered recognitions, including being a Minority Dissertation Fellow by the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and receiving the Emerging Scholar award from Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. She completed her Ph.D. in Higher Education and Public Policy at the University of Michigan and earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Mathematics from Clark Atlanta University, where she graduated as valedictorian. Dr. Williams has previously held academic positions at the University of Georgia and the University of Alabama, and she was also a Senior Research Associate at the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). Her research on the experiences of Black women in STEM and the efficacy of culturally informed strategies in educational settings is well published in academic journals.

Research Interests