# Dr. Tom Williams

> Dr. Tom Williams is a New Zealand synthetic biologist and the Sydney-based CEO and co-founder of Number 8 Bio. With Dr. Alex Carpenter, he develops BetterFeed livestock products intended to reduce methane emissions while improving feed efficiency. His background spans yeast metabolism, synthetic genomes and biosensors at the University of Queensland and Macquarie University.

- **Role:** CEO and Co-Founder at Number 8 Bio
- **Organizations:** Number 8 Bio, Macquarie University, ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology
- **Nationality:** New Zealander
- **Education:** BSc in Biochemistry, University of Waikato, MSc in Microbiology, University of Waikato, PhD in Synthetic Biology, University of Queensland
- **Known for:** Contributed to the Yeast 2.0 synthetic genome project at Macquarie University., Co-founded Number 8 Bio with Alex Carpenter in 2022., Led Number 8 Bio through its A$11 million Series A in 2025.

## Career timeline

- **2015** — Completed his PhD at the University of Queensland and began postdoctoral research at Macquarie University, including Yeast 2.0.
- **2017** — Began working with Alex Carpenter in academic research.
- **2019** — Started developing the Number 8 Bio idea with Carpenter and meeting investors.
- **2022** — Co-founded Number 8 Bio and participated in the UNSW SynBio 10x accelerator.
- **2023** — Number 8 Bio announced A$1.8 million in early capital.
- **2024** — Number 8 Bio raised an A$7 million seed round.
- **2025** — Number 8 Bio raised an A$11 million Series A led by Icehouse Ventures.
- **2026** — Accepted the DFI Sustainability Innovation Challenge award in Hong Kong; the company continued commercial trials.

## Achievements

- Contributed to the Yeast 2.0 synthetic genome project at Macquarie University.
- Co-founded Number 8 Bio with Alex Carpenter in 2022.
- Led Number 8 Bio through its A$11 million Series A in 2025.
- Number 8 Bio won the 2026 DFI Sustainability Innovation Challenge and the 2026 AusAgritech Climate Catalyst Award.

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — NSW Government records approval of A$1,184,714 for Number 8 Bio under the NSW Biosciences Fund 2025.
- **2026-04** — The company reported up to 50% methane reductions in early beef-cattle bolus trials and continuing sheep and cattle trials in Australia and New Zealand.
- **2026-06** — Number 8 Bio won the DFI Sustainability Innovation Challenge, receiving HK$120,000 and a pathway to supply-chain pilots; it also announced a Merino ewe-lamb trial with Meridian Agriculture and Warooka Pastoral Co.
- **2026-07** — The company’s timeline records commercial trials underway.

## Links

- Website: https://www.number8.bio/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-williams-75740952/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/Dr_Tom_Williams

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/thomas-williams
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-14