Trevor Williams

John Trevor Williams (21 June 1938 – 30 March 2015) was a British plant geneticist who was instrumental in the creation of plant gene banks.

He was executive secretary and then first director at the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR) in Rome and made major contributions towards conserving the genetic resources of the world's food crops. His work led to the setting up of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault known as the 'Doomsday Vault', part of the international network of gene banks.

Selected publications

Crop Genetic resources of the Far East and the Pacific. J.T. Williams, J.L. Creech. (1981). International Board for Plant Genetic Resources.

Crop Germplasm Conservation. D. L. Plucknett, N. J. H. Smith, J. T. Williams. (1983). Science

A Bibliography of Crop Genetic Resources. Hawkes J.G., Williams J.T., Croston E.P. Rome: International Board for Plant Genetic Resources, 1983.

Practical Considerations Relevant to Effective Evaluation. In A.H.D. Brown, O.H. Frankel. D.R Marshall, and J.T. Williams, eds. (1989) The Use of Plant Genetic Resources. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Base-collections of Crop Genetic Resources: Their Future Importance in a Man-dominated World. Kar-Ling Tao, J. Trevor Williams, Dick H. van Sloten. (1989). Environmental Conservation 16(4):311-316

Plant Genetic Resources: Some New Directions. Williams, J.T. 1991. Advances in Agronomy 45:61-91.

Conserving the Tropical Cornucopia. (1991). Nigel J. H. Smith, J. T. Williams, Donald L. Plucknett. Environment Science and Policy for Sustainable Development 33(6):7-32

Tropical Forests and Their Crops. Nigel J. H. Smith, J. T. Williams, Donald L. Plucknett, Jennifer P. Talbot. (1992). Cornell University Press.

Global research on underutilized crops. An assessment of current activities and prospects for enhanced cooperation. Williams JT, Haq N (2002) International Centre for Underutilized Crops, Southampton