University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

Department Chairperson

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Dr. Karl Walker

Interim Chair

verma-purple-suitDr. Karl Walker serves as Interim Chair in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at UAPB. In this capacity, he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in computer science, mathematics, and bioinformatics. In addition, he engages in bioinformatics research at UAPB, some of which is done in collaboration with other Arkansas institutions.

Dr. Walker has a persistent desire to investigate, learn, and share his knowledge with others. His bioinformatics research interests lie in protein structure prediction with emphasis on improving the accuracy of prediction. Dr. Walker’s lab develops models and tools for analyzing structural genomics and proteomics data. He has also collaborated on bioinformatics research projects with researchers at ASU, UALR, UAMS, UAF, NCTR, and others. He has published articles and delivered a number of presentations related to his research.

Dr. Walker earned both an MS and Ph.D. in bioinformatics from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). He is a 2002 honors graduate of Morehouse College and a 1998 graduate of Pine Bluff High School. Dr. Walker has had many other educational and enriching experiences during his lifetime. These include student internship experiences at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and Ames Research Center. He also worked in private industry in Little Rock, prior to pursuing advanced degrees at UALR and UAMS.

A few of Dr. Walker’s most notable honors and awards include SREB Doctoral Scholars Fellowship, Outstanding M.S. Graduate for UALR College of Engineering and Information Technology, Outstanding Bioinformatics Masters Student in the UALR/UAMS Bioinformatics Program, and first-place award for oral presentation at the 2014 MCBIOS Conference. Additionally, he has been featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education and The Atlantic.

In his ever-vanishing spare time, he enjoys playing rugby, reading, and hanging out with his family—his wife Equilla and four children: Karl II, Victoria, Grace, and Zion.