Graham C. Walker

Graham C. Walker is an American Cancer Society Professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Biology, School of Science. His research focuses on DNA repair mechanisms, mutagenesis, and symbiotic interactions between legumes and nitrogen-fixing bacteria. He has pioneered studies on bacterial responses to DNA damage and their implications for chemotherapy efficacy, as well as the molecular basis of rhizobium-legume symbiosis.

Walker earned his PhD from the University of Illinois (1974) and BS in Chemistry from Carleton University (1970). He has held numerous prestigious fellowships, including AAAS Fellow (2008) and National Academy of Sciences membership (2013). His lab has identified key proteins involved in SOS repair systems and explored translesion synthesis inhibitors for cancer therapy.

Recent work includes studies on symbiotic peptide signaling, antibiotic lethality mechanisms linked to incomplete DNA repair, and the role of YbeY proteins in ribosomal maturation. His over 300 publications span DNA repair, microbial genetics, and symbiosis, with notable contributions to understanding mutagenesis-enhancing plasmids like pKM101.

Scientific awards include the RIVER Outstanding Investigator Award (2017) and Guggenheim Fellowship (1984). His research integrates molecular biology, genetics, and biochemistry to address fundamental questions in microbial and cancer biology.