Rate My Professor Sean Walker

Sean Walker is a professor in the Department of Biological Science at California State University, Fullerton, specializing in Biology. He joined the faculty in 2003, advancing from assistant professor to associate professor in 2008 and full professor thereafter. Walker has held leadership roles including vice chair and chair of the Biological Science department, associate dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, deputy provost since 2024, and interim provost and vice president for academic affairs effective March 16, 2026. He earned a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Texas at Tyler, M.S. and Ph.D. in zoology from Miami University, and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada. Walker teaches a range of courses, including Elements of Biology, Evolution and Biodiversity, Evolutionary Ecology, Advances in Evolution and Ecology, Entomology, and Biostatistics.

His research centers on evolutionary and behavioral ecology, including the evolution of sexual dimorphism, life-history evolution, sexual selection, animal behavior in crickets and spiders, herpetology, behavioral toxicology, and biology and statistics education. He has published 42 peer-reviewed papers, with key works such as 'Density and Dispersion' (Nature Education Knowledge, 2011), 'The use of multimodal communication in mate choice decisions by female house crickets, Acheta domesticus' (Animal Behaviour, 2012), 'Cautious versus desperado males: predation risk affects courtship intensity but not female choice in a wolf spider' (Behavioral Ecology, 2016), and 'Age at mating and male quality influence female patterns of reproductive investment and survival' (Ecology and Evolution, 2019). His research has received funding from the National Science Foundation. Walker received the Carol Barnes Excellence in Teaching Award in 2013 and the Faculty Leadership in Collegial Governance Award in 2017. He served two terms as chair of the CSUF Academic Senate from 2013 to 2015, contributed to numerous committees on student success, strategic planning, and policy development, and mentored students in research and teaching initiatives.