William L. Hwang, MD, PhD is a principal investigator and physician-scientist at the Center for Systems Biology, Center for Cancer Research, and Department of Radiation Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School (HMS) where he leads the Laboratory for Spatial and Systems Oncology, cares for patients with gastrointestinal malignancies, and serves as associate director of the Radiation Biology & Research Program. Dr. Hwang’s laboratory studies cell state plasticity and tumor-stromal interactions through the development and application of novel techniques in advanced microscopy, single-cell and spatial biology, and genetic engineering to patient-derived specimens, stromal tumoroids, and mouse models. Current project areas include mechanisms of (1) therapeutic resistance mediated by cell state plasticity and  malignant-stromal interactions in the tumor microenvironment; and (2) tumor-nerve interactions, which are remarkably important in the pathogenesis of many cancers but poorly understood. His work has been honored with a Rhodes Scholarship, ASCO/CCF Young Investigator Award, AACR NextGen Star, Hopper-Belmont Foundation Inspiration Award, PanCAN Career Development Award, and 40 under 40 in Cancer Award – Rising Stars and Emerging Leaders.