Dr. Michael Walker

Biography

Dr. Michael Walker began his career with a PhD in theoretical physics from the Australian National University and a Master of Advanced Studies in mathematics from the University of Cambridge. His research has involved modeling ion transport in cell membranes and he has held teaching and research positions in South Korea, as well as further pursuing particle physics research at the University of Chiba in Japan as a JSPS fellow. Dr. Walker worked on a project called Virtual Plants, where he modeled the allocation of hormone transporter proteins and their effects on tissue development. After returning to Australia, he completed an MPhil in bioinformatics, applying machine learning and Bayesian network theory to the etiology of childhood asthma. He then spent a year at La Trobe University with the molecular modeling group, where he incorporated nonlinear machine-learning methods into a molecular modeling package called BioPPSy, focusing on the protein network responsible for apoptosis to understand the mechanisms of the anti-cancer drug ABT-737.

Research Interests