Personal profile
Research Biography
Sean Williams is an award-winning, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of over sixty books and one hundred and forty short stories for adults, young adults and children.
Research Interests
Sean's fiction explores diverse areas including music and hearing loss, futurology, and extreme landscapes. His PhD thesis (on the use of the matter transmitter in literature) received a Dean's Commendation for Thesis Excellence from the University of Adelaide. In 2017, he was the Australian Antarctica Arts Fellow and travelled to Casey research station in order to experience life in "the freezer" first-hand, and he is a PI on the ARC-funded Discovery Project "Creative Antarctica: Australian Artists and Writers in the Far South".
Education/Academic qualification
PhD, University of Adelaide
Award Date: 1 Jan 2013
Master, The Changeline, University of Adelaide
Award Date: 1 Jan 2005
External positions
Judge, South Australian Literary Awards (Premier's Award)
2024
Grant Assessor, Arts SA (Major Projects funding)
2023 → …
Assessor (Arts Fellowship), Australian Antarctic Division
2023 → …
Judge (2023) & Convener (2024), Prime Ministers Award for Literature (Young Adult Category)
2023 → 2024
Judge, Young Writers Award (South Australian Association of English Teachers)
2023
Visiting Academic, University College Cork
2022
Visiting Academic (2020) and Visiting Research Fellow (Humanities Institute)(2022), University College Dublin
2020 → 2022
Peer Assessor (Literature), Arts South Australia
2019 → …
Peer Assessor (Literature Board), Australia Council
2017 → 2020
Affiliate, J. M. Coetzee Centre for Creative Practice, University of Adelaide
2013 → …
Visiting Research Fellow, University of Adelaide
2013 → 2023
National Year of Reading South Australian Ambassador, Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA)
2012
Advisory Committee Member, Adelaide Writers Week
2010 → 2017
Overseas Regional Director, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association
2010 → 2013
Board of Management Executive, Australian Society of Authors
2009 → 2010
Member, TAFESA Professional Writing Industry Assessment Group
2009 → 2011
Advisory Committee Member (WORD Festival), Adelaide International Fringe Festival
2006
Member (Assistant Treasurer 2007-2010), The Big Book Club Inc.
2003 → 2013
Treasurer (1999), Deputy Chair (2000 & 2008-2009), Chair (2001-2003 & 2006-2008), Board Member (2009-2010), Writers SA
1999 → 2010
Supervision
- Registered
Research Areas
- Creative writing
Supervisory Interests
- Creative writing
- Science fiction
- Speculative Fiction
- Fantasy literature
- Horror fiction
- Music composition
- Antarctica
- Children’s literature
- Young adult literature
- Short fiction
- Crime fiction
- The Fantastic
- Historical fiction
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure -
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Gallery
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
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Life Savings: An Interdisciplinary Short Film Collaboration
Bevin, S., Carter, H., Cavanagh, K., Godfrey, N., Peters, S., Williams, S. & Young, T., 2025, Beyond Virtual Production: Integrating Production Technologies. Barnett, T., Bevan, J., Mackness, C. & Wallin, Z. (eds.). Oxon, UK: Routlege, Taylor and Francis, p. 25-36 12 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Open AccessFile115 Downloads (Pure) -
‘Ring the bells’: Sound and Silence in Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom
Williams, S., Apr 2025, In: Humanities. 14, 4, 16 p., 78.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile40 Downloads (Pure) -
Distant Objects in Soft Focus
theAdelaidean (Composer), 25 Oct 2024Research output: Non-textual form › Sound Composition
Open Access -
Parallels
Williams, S. (Composer) & Steve, R. (Composer), 24 Jul 2024Research output: Non-textual form › Sound Composition
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The Magnetic Quiet Zone
Williams, S. (Composer), Samartzis, P. (Composer) & Walch, M. (Photographer), 19 Apr 2024Research output: Non-textual form › Sound Composition
Projects
- 1 Active
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Creative Antarctica: Australian Artists and Writers in the Far South
Leane, E. (Chief Investigator (Project Lead)), Philpott, C. (Chief Investigator), Samartzis, P. (Chief Investigator), Williams, S. (Chief Investigator (Flinders Lead)), Walch, M. (Chief Investigator (Project Lead)), Nielsen, H. (Chief Investigator), Fox, W. (Associate Investigator) & Yasuda, S. (Associate Investigator)
31/12/24 → 30/11/26
Project: Research
Prizes
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The Ties that Bleed: family, secrets and the Australian Gothic
Williams, S. (Author) & Bennett, L. (Author)
21 Mar 2026Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
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Launch of Creative Antarctica exhibition
Williams, S. (Participant)
20 Feb 2026 → 2 May 2026Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Exhibition
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Interview for Meridian Australis
Williams, S. (Participant)
16 Jan 2025Activity: Other activity types › Other
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South Australian Frontier and its Legacies
Knight, T. (Participant), Hurrell, C. (Participant), Musolino, D. R. (Participant) & Williams, S. (Participant)
1 Apr 2024Activity: Other activity types › Other
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How Does Research Inform Creative Response to Antarctica?
Williams, S. (Invited speaker)
2024Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk