Karen's research encompasses autoimmunity, DNA damage and nutrigenomics as she manages dual projects at the Flinders University/Flinders Medical Centre Immunology Department investigating clinical associations of autoantibodies in scleroderma patients and at the CSIRO Nutritional Genomics and DNA Damage Diagnostic Laboratory where she is investigating DNA damage and genomic instability, also in scleroderma patients.

Since 2013 Karen has had a keen interest in facilitating interaction between researchers and the broader community including business, government and NGOs. Karen is a keen advocate for the incorporation of entrepreneurship into the training and professional development of STEMM Ph.D. students and a revised national funding scheme for STEMM research.