Professor Michael Walker (Whakatōhea) is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and the Royal Institute of Navigation in London. He is best known for his research on the existence, capacities and use of the magnetic sense in navigation over long distances. Recently, he has developed research investigating the mechanisms of the lunar and tidal rhythms in marine organisms. Over the last 20 years, Professor Walker has also worked to increase participation of Māori and Pacific Island people in all aspects of the sciences and research. Professor Walker was a founding Joint Director of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga from 2002-2010. His personal research and work in Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga were profiled in the journal Science (318, 904-7) in 2007 and he was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2009.