Image of Dr Sally Williamson

Dr Sally Williamson

School of Biological and Environmental Sciences

Faculty of Science

My research interests include all aspects of invertebrate neurobiology, especially how drugs and toxins affect invertebrate brains and behaviour. I have previously worked on the effects of pesticides on bees, and the interaction of antiparasitic agents with receptors in the nematode nervous system; and I am currently using planarian flatworms as a model organism for pharmacology studies.

Degrees

University of Bath, United Kingdom, PhD
Bangor University, United Kingdom, BSc (hons) Marine Biology/Zoology (1st class)

Certifications

2015, Higher Education Academy, United Kingdom, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Academic appointments

Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Neurobiology, Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, 2013 - present
Post-doctoral Research Associate, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, 2011 - 2013
Postdoctoral research Associate, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, 2009 - 2011

Journal article

Cutler J, Williamson SM, Rae R. 2019. The effect of sertraline, haloperidol and apomorphine on the behavioural manipulation of slugs (Deroceras invadens) by the nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita Behavioural Processes, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Morris A, Green M, Martin H, Crossland K, Swaney WT, Williamson SM, Rae R. 2018. A nematode that can manipulate the behaviour of slugs Behavioural Processes, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Drummond J, Williamson SM, Fitchett AE, Wright GA, Judge SJ. 2016. Spontaneous honeybee behaviour is altered by persistent organic pollutants Ecotoxicology, 26 :141-150 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Dutka A, McNulty A, Williamson SM. 2015. A new threat to bees? Entomopathogenic nematodes used in biological pest control cause rapid mortality in Bombus terrestris PeerJ, 2015 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Oliver CJ, Softley S, Williamson SM, Stevenson PC, Wright GA. 2015. Pyrethroids and Nectar Toxins Have Subtle Effects on the Motor Function, Grooming and Wing Fanning Behaviour of Honeybees (Apis mellifera). PLoS One, 10 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Williamson SM, Willis SJ, Wright GA. 2014. Exposure to neonicotinoids influences the motor function of adult worker honeybees Ecotoxicology, 23 :1409-1418 DOI

Nakasu EYT. 2014. Novel biopesticide based on a spider venom peptide shows no adverse effects on honeybees Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 281 DOI

Williamson SM, Baker DD, Wright GA. 2013. Acute exposure to a sublethal dose of imidacloprid and coumaphos enhances olfactory learning and memory in the honeybee Apis mellifera INVERTEBRATE NEUROSCIENCE, 13 :63-70 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Williamson SM, Wright GA. 2013. Exposure to multiple cholinergic pesticides impairs olfactory learning and memory in honeybees JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY, 216 :1799-1807 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Williamson SM, Moffat C, Gomersall MAE, Saranzewa N, Connolly CN, Wright GA. 2013. Exposure to acetylcholinesterase inhibitors alters the physiology and motor function of honeybees. Front Physiol, 4 :13 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Robertson AP, Buxton SK, Puttachary S, Williamson SM, Wolstenholme AJ, Neveu C, Cabaret J, Charvet CL, Martin RJ. 2012. Antinematodal Drugs - Modes of Action and Resistance: And Worms Will Not Come to Thee (Shakespeare: Cymbeline: IV, ii) :233-249 DOI Publisher Url

Bennett HM, Williamson SM, Walsh TK, Woods DJ, Wolstenholme AJ. 2012. ACR-26: A novel nicotinic receptor subunit of parasitic nematodes MOLECULAR AND BIOCHEMICAL PARASITOLOGY, 183 :151-157 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Williamson SM, Wolstenholme AJ. 2012. P-glycoproteins of Haemonchus contortus: development of real-time PCR assays for gene expression studies JOURNAL OF HELMINTHOLOGY, 86 :202-208 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Williamson SM, Storey B, Howell S, Harper KM, Kaplan RM, Wolstenholme AJ. 2011. Candidate anthelmintic resistance-associated gene expression and sequence polymorphisms in a triple-resistant field isolate of Haemonchus contortus. Mol Biochem Parasitol, 180 :99-105 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Dale RP, Jones AK, Tamborindeguy C, Davies TGE, Amey JS, Williamson S, Wolstenholme A, Field LM, Williamson MS, Walsh TK, Sattelle DB. 2010. Identification of ion channel genes in the Acyrthosiphon pisum genome INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, 19 :141-153 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Richards S, Gibbs RA, Gerardo NM, Moran N, Nakabachi A, Stern D, Tagu D, Wilson ACC, Muzny D, Kovar C, Cree A, Chacko J, Chandrabose MN, Dao MD, Dinh HH, Gabisi RA, Hines S, Hume J, Jhangian SN, Joshi V, Lewis LR, Liu Y-S, Lopez J, Morgan MB, Nguyen NB, Okwuonu GO, Ruiz SJ, Santibanez J, Wright RA, Fowler GR, Hitchens ME, Lozado RJ, Moen C, Steffen D, Warren JT, Zhang J, Nazareth LV, Chavez D, Davis C, Lee SL, Patel BM, Pu L-L, Bell SN, Johnson AJ, Vattathil S, Williams RL, Shigenobu S, Dang PM, Morioka M, Fukatsu T, Kudo T, Miyagishima S-Y, Jiang H, Worley KC, Legeai F, Gauthier J-P, Collin O, Zhang L, Chen H-C, Ermolaeva O, Hlavina W, Kapustin Y, Kiryutin B, Kitts P, Maglott D, Murphy T, Pruitt K, Sapojnikov V, Souvorov A, Thibaud-Nissen F, Camara F, Guigo R, Stanke M, Solovyev V, Kosarev P, Gilbert D, Gabaldon T, Huerta-Cepas J, Marcet-Houben M, Pignatelli M, Moya A, Rispe C, Ollivier M, Quesneville H, Permal E, Llorens C, Futami R, Hedges D, Robertson HM, Alioto T, Mariotti M, Nikoh N, McCutcheon JP, Burke G, Kamins A, Latorre A, Kudo T, Moran NA, Ashton P, Calevro F, Charles H, Colella S, Douglas A, Jander G, Jones DH, Febvay G, Kamphuis LG, Kushlan PF, Macdonald S, Ramsey J, Schwartz J, Seah S, Thomas G, Vellozo A, Cass B, Degnan P, Hurwitz B, Leonardo T, Koga R, Altincicek B, Anselme C, Atamian H, Barribeau SM, de Vos M, Duncan EJ, Evans J, Ghanim M, Heddi A, Kaloshian I, Vincent-Monegat C, Parker BJ, Perez-Brocal V, Rahbe Y, Spragg CJ, Tamames J, Tamarit D, Tamborindeguy C, Vilcinskas A, Bickel RD, Brisson JA, Butts T, Chang C-C, Christiaens O, Davis GK, Duncan E, Ferrier D, Iga M, Janssen R, Lu H-L, McGregor A, Miura T, Smagghe G, Smith J, van der Zee M, Velarde R, Wilson M, Dearden P, Edwards OR, Gordon K, Hilgarth RS, Rider SD, Robertson HM, Srinivasan D, Walsh TK, Ishikawa A, Jaubert-Possamai S, Fenton B, Huang W, Jones DH, Rizk G, Lavenier D, Nicolas J, Smadja C, Robertson HM, Zhou J-J, Vieira FG, He X-L, Liu R, Rozas J, Field LM, Ashton PD, Campbell P, Carolan JC, Douglas AE, Fitzroy CIJ, Reardon KT, Reeck GR, Singh K, Wilkinson TL, Huybrechts J, Abdel-latief M, Robichon A, Veenstra JA, Hauser F, Cazzamali G, Schneider M, Williamson M, Stafflinger E, Hansen KK, Grimmelikhuijzen CJP, Price DRG, Caillaud M, van Fleet E, Ren Q, Gatehouse JA, Brault V, Monsion B, Diaz J, Hunnicutt L, Ju H-J, Pechuan X, Aguilar J, Cortes T, Ortiz-Rivas B, Martinez-Torres D, Dombrovsky A, Dale RP, Davies TGE, Williamson MS, Jones A, Sattelle D, Williamson S, Wolstenholme A, Vellozo A, Cottret L, Febvay G, Calevro F, Sagot MF, Heckel DG, Hunter W. 2010. Genome Sequence of the Pea Aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum PLOS BIOLOGY, 8 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Williamson SM, Robertson AP, Brown L, Williams T, Woods DJ, Martin RJ, Sattelle DB, Wolstenholme AJ. 2009. The Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors of the Parasitic Nematode Ascaris suum: Formation of Two Distinct Drug Targets by Varying the Relative Expression Levels of Two Subunits PLOS PATHOGENS, 5 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Williamson SM, Walsh TK, Wolstenholme AJ. 2007. The cys-loop ligand-gated ion channel gene family of Brugia malayi and Trichinella spiralis: A comparison with Caenorhabditis elegans Invertebrate Neuroscience, 7 :219-226 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Chapters

Wolstenholme AJ, Williamson SM, Reaves BJ. 2011. TRP Channels in Parasites Islam MS. TRANSIENT RECEPTOR POTENTIAL CHANNELS 704 :359-371 SPRINGER-VERLAG BERLIN 978-94-007-0264-6 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Conference publication

Bennett HM, Williamson SM, McCavera S, Robertson AP, Martin RJ, Williams T, Woods DJ, Sattelle DB, Wolstenholme AJ. 2009. The nicotinic acetylcholine receptors of Ascaris suum BIOCHEMICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Symposium on Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors as Therapeutic Targets 78 :899-900 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Media Coverage:

Interview for the BBC about my research into the adverse effects of neonicotinoid pesticides on learning and memory in the honeybee, March 2012

News articles describing research I was involved in testing a novel biopesticide based on spider venom on bees, and demonstrating it was safer than conventional pesticides, published summer 2014
voices.nationalgeographic.com
www.independent.co.uk

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