David Walker, PhD, DABT, joined the Duke Toxicology Program in November 2018. Walker had previously worked as a research scientist in Duke’s Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology. In that role he published studies describing how drugs and toxicants exert greater neurochemical and neurobehavioral effects in females and the young. Walker’s research focused on demonstrating that both gonadal hormone levels and developmental stage of the brain can predispose subpopulations to greater neurotoxic effects following chemical exposures.
Walker, a native of North Carolina, received a BA in Biology and Religious Studies from UNC-Chapel Hill. He then assisted in the development of behavioral screening techniques for neurotoxicants while at the Environmental Protection Agency in RTP, before earning a PhD in Toxicology and Nutrition from UNC-Chapel Hill. Walker also completed a postdoctoral fellowship in chemistry at UNC-Chapel Hill before joining Duke.