William M. Clemons

William M. Clemons is the Hanisch Memorial Professor of Biochemistry at Caltech and the Program Officer for Diversity in Science at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI). He received his PhD from the University of Utah, where he worked under Prof. Venki Ramakrishnan. During this time, Prof. Clemons spent two years as a visiting scientist at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England. The most notable achievement during his graduate work was that he was part of the team that solved the first atomic resolution structure of the small ribosomal subunit, which led to a fundamental understanding of the translation of the genetic code and the Nobel Prize for his advisor.

Following that, he became a Damon-Runyon Cancer Research post-doctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School, working for Profs. Tom Rapoport and Steve Harrison. During this time, he solved the structure of the ubiquitous protein translocation channel. Prof. Clemons began his independent group at Caltech in 2006. The focus of the Clemons lab is to characterize critical biological systems using a variety of techniques, including structural biology and biochemistry.

The Clemons lab has contributed significantly to understanding membrane protein biogenesis, glycochemistry in lipid bilayers, and the development of novel antibacterial therapeutics. Prof. Clemons has received numerous awards, including membership in the United States National Academy of Science (2022), a fellow of the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (2022), a Searle Scholar (2007), and the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award (2011).

He is a renowned mentor known for his extensive contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion and has received one of Caltech’s two highest honors, The Shirley Malcom Prize for Mentoring (2024). In August 2023, he joined the CZI Science team, where he oversees a variety of funding programs, including the Science Diversity Leadership Award.