Graham Charles Walker (born 1948)Book of Members: Chapter W
/ref> is an American biologist, notable for his work explicating the structure and function of proteins involved in

DNA repair DNA repair is a collection of processes by which a cell identifies and corrects damage to the DNA molecules that encode its genome. In human cells, both normal metabolic activities and environmental factors such as radiation can cause DNA da ...

and

mutagenesis Mutagenesis () is a process by which the genetic information of an organism is changed by the production of a mutation. It may occur spontaneously in nature, or as a result of exposure to mutagens. It can also be achieved experimentally using l ...

, with applications for cancer, and for understanding

rhizobium ''Rhizobium'' is a genus of Gram-negative soil bacteria that fix nitrogen. ''Rhizobium'' species form an endosymbiotic nitrogen-fixing association with roots of (primarily) legumes and other flowering plants. The bacteria colonize plant cells ...

(bacterial) functions that infect plants and mammals. In addition to his scientific achievements, Walker is coordinating a program at

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

to develop curricular materials in biology.

Biography

Walker earned a B.Sc. degree from

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning Worl ...

, and his Ph.D. in 1974 from the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Unive ...

. He did postdoctoral work at the

and at

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

with Bruce Ames. He is currently a professor at

Notable publications

* Errol C. Friedberg, Graham C. Walker, Wolfram Siede, and Richard D. Wood, ''DNA Repair and Mutagenesis'' (2005 edition of notable textbook) * Bradley T. Smith, Alan D. Grossman, and Graham C. Walker, "Visualization of Mismatch Repair in Bacterial Cells", ''Molecular Cell'', v.8, pp. 1197–1206 (Dec. 2001) * LeVier, K., Phillips, R.W., Grippe, V.K., Roop II, R.M. and Walker, G.C. Similar requirements of a plant symbiont and a mammalian pathogen for prolonged intracellular survival. Science 287:2492-2493 (2000) * G. C. Walker, "Mutagenesis and inducible responses to deoxyribonucleic acid damage in ''Escheriscia coli''", ''Microbiological Reviews'' (full text available a
PubMed Central

Awards

* 1970 - Woodrow Wilson National Fellow * 1978-1982 - Rita Allen Foundation Scholar * 1994 - Elected Fellow,

American Academy of Microbiology The American Society for Microbiology (ASM), originally the Society of American Bacteriologists, is a professional organization for scientists who study viruses, bacteria, fungi, algae, and protozoa as well as other aspects of microbiology. It wa ...

* 2004 - Elected Fellow,

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, ...

. * 2006 - Environmental Mutagen Society Award * 2009 - Elected Fellow,

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsi ...

. * 2013 - Elected Member,

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nat ...

. *

American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. Established in 1913, the society is organized into six geographical regions of both medical and lay volunteers operating in more tha ...

Research Professor * Charles Ross Scholar Award for Cancer Research * Arthur C. Smith Award * Stone Lectureship, Pennsylvania State University

References

MIT faculty profile

Footnotes

Howard Hughes Medical Investigators Living people 1948 births Carleton University alumni University of California, Berkeley people Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science faculty University of Illinois alumni Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science 21st-century American biologists {{US-biologist-stub