Williams has studied Weddell seals across the course of her career, including how the seals navigate, searching for evidence of geomagnetic perception. Williams has also pioneered techniques on how to study wild seals without resorting to animal sedation.[4] In addition to seals, Williams has studied both the diving physiology of both dolphins and narwhals, using sensors to measure the animals' heart rate, depth, and acceleration.[5][6]
In the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, Williams directed the Valdez Sea Otter Rescue Center, in addition to studying the spill's effects on other mammals and sea birds.[7]
In 2013, Williams wrote a book about efforts to save an abandoned monk seal entitled The Odyssey of KP2: An Orphan Seal, a Marine Biologist, and the Fight to Save a Species.[8] The seal was the youngest monk seal ever brought to the mainland United States.[2]Bob Kustra praised the book for the insight it provided into the rescue efforts for a young seal.[8]
After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams explored the connections between COVID's effects on people and the "many physiological adaptations that have enabled marine mammals to tolerate low oxygen levels during dives".[9]
