Karina's PhD explored how science communicators around the world understand and practice inclusive science communication. Using surveys and interviews across different cultural and professional contexts, she examined whose voices are centered in science conversations—and whose are left out. Now as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, she brings this critical lens to the Rio Tinto Centre for Future Materials, where she develops frameworks for transdisciplinary collaboration that weave together technical innovation, social equity, and environmental responsibility in materials research for the energy transition.

With a background spanning environmental geosciences and science communication, Karina has worked across international, cross-disciplinary teams in Australia, New Zealand, and Bulgaria—experiences that taught her to question assumptions about process, culture, and knowledge. She performed with the Questacon Science Circus before spending five years at Questacon as a science communicator, where she initiated and led their gender equity program.

Her commitment to understanding who is—and isn't—represented in science extends to her work with POPSICULE, The ANU Science in Pop Culture and Entertainment Hub, where she examines how popular media shapes and is shaped by perceptions of scientists and science. She co-authored the book Women Scientists in American Television Comedy: Beakers, Big Bangs and Broken Hearts, exploring how humour and representation influence public understanding of women in STEM. Throughout her all work, Karina builds meaningful partnerships between researchers, industry, and communities to navigate complex society-wide challenges together.