Travis Walker
Associate Professor
Karen M. Swindler Department of Chemical and Biological EngineeringEducation
B.S., South Dakota School of Mines & TechnologyB.S., South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
M.S., Stanford University
Ph.D., Stanford University
Contact/Location
Travis.Walker@sdsmt.edu605-394-2543
CBEC 3310 (campus map)
Research Expertise
Dr. Walker is a transport phenomena engineer who works to develop both theoretical and experimental methods that can be applied to the study of complex fluids, soft solids, miscible fluid interactions, and biological systems. He is interested in multiphase systems and the mechanics of materials. His ultimate goal is to provide new detailed insights into the macroscopic characteristics of materials and processes through an in-depth understanding of the fundamental physics active at the molecular level.
Brief Bio
In 2008, Dr. Walker graduated from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology with a BS in Chemical Engineering and a BS in Applied and Computational Mathematics. He then completed his MS and PhD degrees in Chemical Engineering at Stanford University in 2010 and 2013, respectively. Before returning to SD Mines in 2017, he was an Assistant Professor in the School of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering at Oregon State University from 2013-2017.
Teaching
Dr. Walker enjoys teaching at all levels and in a variety of atmospheres from the classroom to the laboratory. He strongly believes in promoting undergraduate research. He has successfully taught core undergraduate courses in programming, numerical analysis, mass and energy balances, and mass transfer. He has successfully taught core graduate courses in chemical engineering analysis, fluid flow, and mass transfer, as well as an elective course in colloids and interfaces. He is also interested in creating new courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in topics including rheology, complex fluids, capillarity, low-Reynolds number (Stokes) flow, and applied mathematics.