A University of Dayton biology major’s passion for research has earned her a spot among the nation’s top undergraduate STEM scholars.
Ashley Williams, a junior from West Carrollton, Ohio, was awarded a 2026 Goldwater Scholarship, the preeminent award of its type for undergraduates interested in pursuing research careers in the sciences, engineering and mathematics.
The one-year scholarship will cover tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to $7,500 for Williams’ senior year. It also will help Williams achieve her dream of pursuing a doctoral degree and post-doctoral fellowship in human genetics.
Williams is one of 454 Goldwater Scholarship recipients selected for the 2026-27 academic year. She is UD’s seventh Goldwater Scholar and the fourth in biology.
“This award demonstrates Ashley as a top-tier research scientist ready for top-tier graduate programs,” said Yvonne Sun, associate professor in the UD Department of Biology and Williams’ academic advisor. “It also reflects the deep commitment of the Department of Biology to continue to provide faculty-mentored research as a high-impact experiential learning opportunity. Working with students in our research labs has been an important and essential part of our teaching and contribution to the mission of the University.”
Williams has a perfect 4.0 grade point average and has declared four minors: chemistry, data analytics, neuroscience and research in the biological sciences.
She is the 2026 president of Beta Beta Beta, the UD student chapter of the National Biological Honors Society. In April, she received the John C. Johnson Award for excellence in student research, the first-place award for poster presentations, at the TriBeta NE-4 District Convention in Ohio.
Williams has been interested in science since childhood, when she made drawings of herself as a scientist. Genetics piqued her interest because of its complexity.
“It’s just so interesting how we all share so much DNA but we all look so different — not even just in humans, but all the similarities we share with other animals,” Williams said. “I think it is really interesting to explore that and understand it within a context that can be applied to diseases and variation.”
She works as a researcher in the lab of Tom Williams, a professor in the UD Department of Biology who studies how physical traits develop and evolve at the DNA level. Her primary research project explores the regulation and evolution of the gene known as pale, which plays a critical role in pigmentation.
“It’s the first acting gene in the biosynthetic pathway that makes melanin,” Ashley said. “Our lab studies the pigmentation patterns in fruit flies as a model for understanding gene expression regulation. We study this because across species of fruit flies we have an ancestral phenotype — in this case, the old one where both male and female flies look the same — and we have a derived trait, which is new, where the males look different than the females.
“The genes in this pathway are older than the pigmentation trait, which allows us to really dig into the non-coding DNA sequences that control gene expression, known as cis-regulatory elements, or CREs, and understand how they have contributed to the evolution of the derived trait. This allows us to further understand how gene expression is controlled, and to elucidate a code for how these CREs broadly contribute to the evolution of new traits, variation and also disease.”
Tom Williams has mentored more than 60 undergraduate students during his 17 years at UD, many of whom were highly motivated to have impactful careers as medical doctors. He said Ashley has a comparable drive to become a leading scientist.
“What makes Ashley special is that when she arrived at the University of Dayton, she got involved in research on day one and hasn’t let up,” he said. “I think that’s important to becoming a Goldwater scientist. She stands out for being inquisitive and her willingness to be involved.”
He noted that Ashley collaborated with graduate students in his lab as an author on two published scientific papers. She has presented her research at the 2024 Society for Developmental Biology conference and the 2025 American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology conference. In June, she will present her research at the Evolution conference in Cleveland.
This fall, Ashley and several peers will launch the Biological Research Interest Club, a new campus organization for UD students who are interested in biology research and looking for opportunities to discuss and present their research.
In addition, Ashley serves as a College of Arts and Sciences student ambassador. She speaks to prospective and admitted students at campus events about opportunities in the natural sciences.
“I love telling them about the wonderful research opportunities UD offers, since research is what influenced me to attend UD,” she said.
Sun recommended Ashley for the Goldwater Scholarship to UD’s Office of Fellowship Advising, located in Career Services, which assisted her with the application process.
“Ashley is not a burying-her-nose-in-books or hiding-alone-in-the-lab kind of high-achieving scholar,” Sun said. “She maintains her outstanding academic accomplishments with a genuine passion for her community, somehow balancing the high standards she sets for herself with her natural servant leadership mindset.”