William Weis (1959-2023)

William “Bill” Weis, PhD, known for elucidating the three-dimensional structures of a variety of molecules and for developing advanced X-ray crystallography methods, died of brain cancer on Oct. 13 2023 in his Palo Alto home. He was 64.

Before he took medical leave for glioblastoma, Weis was chair of the structural biology department. He was also a professor of molecular and cellular physiology and of photon science and was the William M. Hume Professor in the School of Medicine. He worked at Stanford Medicine for 30 years.

“The department of structural biology’s longstanding preeminence owes greatly to Bill’s extraordinary contributions as a scientist and mentor,” said Lloyd Minor, MD, dean of the Stanford School of Medicine. “He encouraged and enlightened other scientists even far outside his own field. He truly was a bright and guiding light, illuminating his own and others’ research at Stanford Medicine.”

Weis described the structure of many proteins, including a group called catenins, which bind cells together and build tissue. His research also focused on cell-cell communication and the internal and external organization of cells. The imaging techniques he developed include advanced X-ray crystallography methods, which enhance the resolution of three-dimensional structures of proteins. These structures help scientists determine how the proteins interact with surrounding molecules and which molecules are good possibilities for drugs.

“Bill was an incredible force at Stanford Medicine and pushed forward the latest and greatest technologies to image protein structures, applying forefront methods from physics to understand biology,” said Ted Jardetzky, PhD, a professor of structural biology and the department’s current chair.