Dr. Larry Walker is Professor Emeritus at the University of British Columbia where he has spent most of his career since earning his PhD at the University of Toronto. For almost two decades he was the Director of the Graduate Program in the Department of Psychology and then, more recently, served for six years as Senior Associate Dean in the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. He continues to serve the University as the Academic Integrity Advisor in the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

Dr. Walker’s research has focused on the psychology of moral development, particularly in terms of moral reasoning, personality, motivation, and identity. This research is aimed at developing a more full-bodied account of moral functioning that may help explain the psychological dynamics in exemplary moral action; thus he examines both individuals’ conceptions of moral excellence as well as the psychological functioning of a range of actual moral exemplars.

Dr. Walker’s secondary research area is Social/Personality.

Walker, L. J. (2020). The character of character: The 2019 Kohlberg Memorial Lecture. Journal of Moral Education, 49, 381-395. doi:10.1080/03057240.2019.1698415

Wiens, T. K., & Walker, L. J. (2019). Examining the relationship between bright and dark personality traits in two management samples. Personality and Individual Differences, 141, 92-100. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2018.12.025

Dunlop, W. L., Walker, L. J., Hanley, G. E., & Harake, N. (2017). The psychosocial construction of parenting: An examination of parenting goals and narratives in relation to well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 18, 1729-1745. doi:10.1007/s10902-016-9796-z

Walker, L. J. (2017). The moral character of heroes. In S. T. Allison, G. R. Goethals, & R. M. Kramer (Eds.), Handbook of heroism and heroic leadership (pp. 99-119).  New York: Routledge.

• American Psychological Association Fellow (2001)
• Canadian Psychological Association Fellow (1994)
• Association for Moral Education: Kuhmerker Career Award (1994)
• Robert E. Knox Master Teaching Award (1990)
• UBC Alumni Award for Research in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (1988)
• UBC Killam Faculty Research Prize (1988)