William Montfort received BS and PhD degrees in Chemistry (Biochemistry emphasis) from Oakland University (1980) and the University of Texas (1985). His graduate studies, with Prof. Jon Robertus, led to the crystal structure of ricin. In his postdoctoral studies, with Prof. Robert Stroud at the University of California, San Francisco, he determined crystal structures of anticancer drug target thymidylate synthase. He moved to the University of Arizona in 1989, where he established a laboratory focused on protein structure/function and founded the X-ray crystallography facility. He is now Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Director of the NIH-funded Biological Chemistry Graduate Program and Co-Lead for Clinical and Translational Oncology Program in the Cancer Center.