Dr. Nolan Williams

Nolan Williams, MD, is an Assistant Professor within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford Medicine and the Director of the Stanford Brain Stimulation Lab. Dr. Williams has a broad background in clinical neuroscience and is triple board-certified in general neurology, general psychiatry, as well as behavioral neurology & neuropsychiatry. In addition, he has training and clinical expertise in the development of brain stimulation methodologies. Themes of his work include examining the use of spaced learning theory in the application of neurostimulation techniques; development and mechanistic understanding of rapid-acting antidepressants; and identifying objective biomarkers that predict neuromodulation responses in treatment-resistant neuropsychiatric conditions. He has published papers in peer-reviewed journals including Brain, American Journal of Psychiatry, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Results from his studies have gained widespread attention in journals such as Science and New England Journal of Medicine Journal Watch as well as in the popular press including Time, Smithsonian, and Newsweek.

Dr. Williams earned his medical degree and completed his residency training in neurology and psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina. He received two National Association for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD) Young Investigator Awards in 2016 and 2018 along with the 2019 Gerald R. Klerman Award and the National Institute of Mental Health Biobehavioral Research Award for Innovative New Scientists in 2020.