Rate My Professor David Walker

David Walker is a Senior Lecturer in Mathematics and Statistics within the School of Physics, Mathematics and Computing at the University of Western Australia. He received his PhD from the University of Western Australia, where his research focused on nonlinear time series analysis from a dynamical systems perspective. As a member of the Complex Systems Group, Walker's academic interests center on developing advanced techniques to enhance the understanding of complex systems. He applies these methods to data analysis across diverse fields, including ecology, granular physics, electronics, and animal behavior. His work encompasses nonlinear dynamics, chaotic systems, time series reconstruction, complex networks, topological data analysis, self-organization in physical and biological systems, synchronization in coupled systems, epidemic modeling, and phase space evolution.

Prior to joining UWA in a teaching and research capacity in 2016, Walker held prestigious research positions at several institutions, including Senior Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne, Senior Biomathematician at Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland, and joint roles with the College of William and Mary and HP Labs. He has also served as a Visiting Assistant Professor. Walker has contributed to significant projects such as TSuNAMi: Time Series Network Animal Modelling (2020–2025), P.PSH.1316 Design, establishment and benefits of edible shelter to improve lamb survival and whole-farm profitability (2021–2027), Livecorp - Interpreting Animal Welfare (2024–2025), and P.PSH.1292 - Investigating heat stress in ewes – reproductive performance (2021–2025). His scholarly output includes 64 journal articles, 17 conference papers, 2 book chapters, and 2 comments/debates, totaling 87 research outputs. Notable publications are 'Reservoir computing with the minimum description length principle' (Chaos, 2025, with Mizzi and Small), 'Synchronization detection using spatial ordinal partitions in networks' (Physical Review E, 2025, with Shahriari, Algar, and Small), 'Modeling Ordinal First Return Dynamics from Time Series' (International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos, 2024, with Shahriari, Algar, and Small), 'Erratum to selecting embedding delays: An overview of embedding techniques and a new method using persistent homology' (Chaos, 2024, with Tan et al.), and 'Directed Acyclic Graph networks to characterize phase space evolution with application to musical composition and industrial maintenance' (Expert Systems with Applications, 2023, with Correa and Algar). His research has received over 2,000 citations.