OUR PEOPLE
Academic Credentials
- Ph.D., Bioengineering, Clemson University, 2025
- B.S., Biomedical Engineering, Mississippi State University, 2020
Professional Affiliations
- Orthopaedic Research Society, 2020-present
- American Society of Biomechanics, 2025-present
Dr. Walker specializes in orthopaedic biomechanics with an emphasis in soft tissue biomechanics. She utilizes her past academic research experience to provide in-depth assessments of biomechanical issues that require a thorough understanding of soft tissue structure-function relationships. She evaluates human movement, injury mechanics, and injury potential in a variety of settings including during motor vehicle, workplace, and recreational incidents.
Dr. Walker has a wide range of experience in various research methods including tensile and compressive mechanical testing, scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), clinical imaging, and motion capture. Dr. Walker has published in peer reviewed journals and has presented at national conferences on these topics.
Prior to Exponent, Dr. Walker conducted ex vivo human cadaver experiments to study the pathomechanics of trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis. Her research utilized a variety of mechanical testing procedures (stress relaxation, load to failure, microindentation) and imaging modalities (X-ray, CT, MRI, SEM/EDS, multiphoton) to study the impact of osteoarthritis on structure-function relationships of surrounding soft tissues, including ligaments and articular cartilage. From this research, she was able to draw a correlation between an attenuating volar ligament complex and articular cartilage deterioration within the joint as osteoarthritis progressed. She also served as lab manager for the Clemson-Medical University of South Carolina Orthopaedic Bioengineering Lab and as a teaching assistant for Structural Biomechanics.