Morgan Walker earns doctorate in physics

Morgan Walker, of St. George Island, received her doctorate in physics from the University of California at Davis at Spring 2024 commencement ceremonies on June 13.

Walker is the daughter of David and Rose Walker of St. George Island. She grew up in Franklin County, and attended First Baptist Christian School, Apalachicola Bay Charter School and Franklin County Schools. During high school, she commuted to Gulf Coast State College as part of a dual-enrollment option at the high school. 

Walker graduated as class salutatorian from Franklin County High School in 2013 and then earned her bachelor degree in physics from the University of Florida in 2017. She spent a summer in Tallahassee at the UF-affiliated National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, performing computer simulations and observing experiments utilizing the world-record 45-tesla hybrid magnet. 

Walker received a fellowship offer at University of California at Davis and after graduation moved to California, where she conducted research and taught physics to undergraduates while working towards her doctorate.

Her graduate work included the study of superconducting quantum materials, specifically iron-based superconductors, which at extremely low temperatures, pass electricity with zero resistance, an extremely useful property which exists alongside other unusual magnetic and electronic properties. 

Walker begins her career in physics in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with Honeywell International Inc.