Martin Williams is a Professor in the Department of Engineering Science at Oxford, and a Fellow of New College, Oxford.

From 2018 to 2025 Martin served as the University’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education, responsible for all aspects of education strategy, including access and admissions, academic quality and standards, regulatory compliance, student number planning, and student financial and welfare support. He led several pioneering access and diversity initiatives, including Opportunity Oxford, the Astrophoria Foundation Year and the creation of the University’s pioneering graduate access strategy. He established the University’s Centre for Teaching and Learning and its support service for victims of sexual harassment and violence. He led the University’s education response to the Covid-19 pandemic, including the approach to assessment and support for students facing disruption to their studies.

The earlier parts of Martin’s career were spent teaching and researching in engineering. After studying at Bristol University in the 1980s, he has spent the bulk of his career in Oxford, where he led an active research group in the field of structural vibrations as well as writing popular textbooks on structural analysis.

His current research interests are in government policy on the funding and regulation of universities, increasing access to graduate study at leading universities, and increasing the consistency and fairness of degree assessment practices.