William Walker, Ph.D.
“I love thinking and problem-solving and working collaboratively with students and other researchers. There is no other job in the world that affords you the opportunity to continuously critically think about problems and figure out ways to solve them.”
Why did you choose to become a doctor/researcher/expert in your field? Was there a specific “a-ha” kind of moment?
For me, the decision to pursue a career in neuroscience was driven by early exposure to a research opportunity during my undergraduate degree. I was drawn to the continuous problem-solving and dynamic day-to-day activity of the lab. After this experience, I began pursuing my Ph.D. in neuroscience.
What have you grown to love about your profession?
I frequently tell my students, "We have the greatest profession in the world. We get to think as a job," he says. "I love thinking and problem-solving and working collaboratively with students and other researchers. There is no other job in the world that affords you the opportunity to continuously critically think about problems and figure out ways to solve them." This position allows me the opportunity to combine my love of science and problem-solving with mentoring students. This is, hands down, the best thing about working in a teaching lab.
Why did you choose your field? Does it have any special significance for West Virginia?
My field, cancer neuroscience, is a newly emerging discipline that was officially defined in 2020. This change resulted from a pivotal paper that described research at the intersection of cancer and neuroscience.
I chose to study cancer neuroscience in graduate school because it merged my undergraduate degree in neuroscience with one of my particular fascinations: cancer biology. Pursuing a PhD in neuroscience and working in a cancer neuroscience lab allowed me to develop expertise while expanding into the cancer field. I truly believe that the next advancements in science will come from the intersections of different and varied fields of study.
Tell us something unique about you that others may not know.
Well, one time, I had to wrestle a 10-foot alligator. I grew up in Georgia and spent my summers during college working at an aquatic pond management and nuisance animal trapping company. One particular summer day brought a series of unfortunate events, including malfunctioning tools and a need for some quick on-the-spot problem-solving to get that gator out of that pond.