AIP WiP - National Lecture Tour - Sep 11

Published in the Research School of Physics Event Horizon
Vol48 Issue34 28 August–1 September 2023

Dr Karen Livesey, is a Senior Lecturer of Physics at the University of Newcastle, and an Associate Investigator at the ARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low Energy Electronic Technologies. She has been named a Superstar of STEM by Science and Technology Australia for 2023-24.

Karen is currently designing new nano-sized magnets to address technological challenges, such as reducing the energy that today’s computers use, and heating inoperable cancer tumours to improve health outcomes.

Prior to her time at the University of Newcastle, she worked at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs for almost 10 years. There her developments earned her the rank of Associate Professor. She had made a life in Colorado, but in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic was identified as a world health threat, Karen and her family decided it was time to move home. Along with her husband and children, they made the move back to Australia, back home to Newcastle, New South Wales.

Karen’s passion for physics and mathematics stemmed from a love of questioning the world around her. She studied physics at University of Western Australia and went on to complete her PhD in 2010. Throughout her appointments, Karen developed a greater interest in sharing her love of physics and mathematics with others. She regularly gives invited talks around the world and has received research and teaching awards in the United States, Canada, UK and Australia.