Karen obtained a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Biology from the University of Sydney in 2003. She worked as a Research Assistant at NeuRA from 2005 to 2009 initially in the Sydney Brain Bank and then for Professor Halliday. She began her PhD studies in 2010, researching glucocerebrosidase mutations in Lewy body diseases. Her PhD research is supported by an NHMRC Biomedical Postgraduate Research Scholarship and the Hicksons Lawyers Postgraduate Research Scholarship. Her PhD is entitled "Glucocerebrosidase mutations in Lewy body diseases."
