Biography
Dr. Walker is an associate professor specializing in archaeology. He received his Ph.D. in 1999 from the University of Pennsylvania. His research interests include political and social organization, landscape archaeology, common poor resources, the relationship between nature and culture, complex societies and agricultural intensification in the Amazon Basin, the Andes, and Bolivia. Dr. Walker currently works in the Amazon Basin and studies how pre-Columbian farmers engineered that environment, showing that the pristine Amazon has in fact been managed and cultivated for thousands of years. He joined the UCF faculty in 2006 and teaches Archaeology of Complex Societies, History of Anthropological Thought, and GIS Applications in Archaeology.
Island, River, and Field (UNM Press)
Project Archives (STARS at UCF Library)
GIS Graduate Certificate at UCF
Research Specialization
My theoretical interests include political and social organization, landscape archaeology, common pool resources, the relationship between nature and culture, complex societies and agricultural intensification. My methodological interests include Geographic Information Systems, ceramic analysis and experimental archaeology. My area specialties include the Amazon Basin, the Andes, and Bolivia.
Highlights
Please visit the News section for Dr. Walker to find the latest information on his accomplishments.
2012:
Dr. John Walker worked with a team that assisted Bolivia with their application to UNESCO for the Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Congratulations on making the list. http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00011&RL=00627
August 2012:
Congratulations to Dr. John Walker on being promoted to the rank of Associate Professor effective Fall 2012!
March 2010:
Congratulations to Dr. Walker for being awarded an in-house grant of $7,500 in support of his research entitled, “How the Amazon was Built: Reconstructing an Archaeological Landscape in Eastern Bolivia”
December 2009:
April 2009:
Congratulations to the following undergraduate students for winning first place in the Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence yesterday:
- Michael Napolitano
- Lourdes Villalta
- Jordon Munizzi
- Trent McRae
- Sara Scott
The students were supervised by Dr. John Walker (see faculty page for profile). Their poster (which will be displayed at the UCF Library) is entitled: Archaeological GIS of the Beni. They were awarded first prize in the Social Sciences II category, which includes a $600 scholarship.