Berkley Walker was a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Don Ort where he worked with the USDA-ARS at the University of Illinois. His research focused on measuring, modeling and meddling with both the light and "dark" reactions of photosynthesis. His previous work has helped improve models of photosynthesis by measuring the in vivo temperature response of some of the primary reactions of carbon fixation. He also has experience in determining how plants balance the supply of energy they harvest from the sun with the demands imposed from central metabolism. 

Berkley earned his bachelor's degree in microbiology from Brigham Young University and his doctorate from Washington State University. He has received multiple awards, including the NASA Space Grant Fellowship in Science and Engineering. His work has been published in the Journal of Experimental Botany, Plant Physiology, Annual Review of Plant Biology, and other publications. He left the RIPE project to join the faculty at Michigan State University as assistant professor of plant biology.