Elizabeth A. Karr

Elizabeth A. Karr is an Associate Professor of Microbiology and Senior Associate Dean of the Graduate College at the University of Oklahoma. She holds the title of Associate Director of the Price Family Foundation Institute of Structural Biology. Her primary research focuses on mechanisms of gene expression and energy conservation in anaerobic microorganisms, particularly methanoarchaea and syntrophic bacteria, with applications to environmental and medical contexts such as biomethanation and hypervirulent Clostridium difficile.

• Affiliations: School of Biological Sciences, OU Graduate College, Price Family Foundation Institute of Structural Biology
• Education: B.Sc. (1999, Murray State University), Ph.D. (2003, Southern Illinois University), NSF Postdoctoral Fellow (2003–2007, Ohio State University)

Her research integrates molecular, biochemical, and structural biology techniques to study transcriptional regulation, protein-DNA interactions, and metabolic pathways in anaerobic organisms. Key areas include understanding the role of redox regulation in methanogens and the structural basis of virulence factors in Clostridium difficile. She collaborates widely, including with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in anaerobic microbiology.

Publications highlight structural insights into enzymes and transcription factors critical for microbial metabolism and pathogenesis. Her work has been supported by grants from NSF and NIH, contributing to structural biology and microbial ecology research.