Karen Barad

Karen Barad is Distinguished Professor of History of Consciousness at the University of California, Santa Cruz, with joint appointments in Philosophy and Feminist Studies. She holds a Ph.D. in theoretical particle physics from SUNY Stony Brook and previously held a tenured position in a physics department before transitioning to interdisciplinary work. At UCSC, she is affiliated with the Humanities Division and serves as faculty in the History of Consciousness Department and Philosophy Department.

Barad earned her Ph.D. in Physics from SUNY Stony Brook, building a foundation in theoretical particle physics before moving toward more interdisciplinary work. Her unique trajectory from physics to philosophy and feminist studies has shaped her distinctive approach to questions of matter, meaning, and ethics.

Barad's research spans multiple disciplines including science studies, multispecies studies, physics, nuclear studies, continental philosophy, epistemology, ontology, ethics, politics, and philosophy of physics. Her theoretical framework of "agential realism" has significantly influenced feminist theory, science studies, and philosophy. She approaches questions of matter, meaning, and ethics through the lens of quantum physics, developing concepts like intra-action, diffraction, and entanglement as philosophical tools. Her work challenges traditional boundaries between subject/object, nature/culture, and human/non-human.

Her publications over the last two decades reveal a consistent engagement with the intersections of science, philosophy, and ethics, particularly focusing on how material-discursive practices shape reality. Barad's work increasingly addresses ecological concerns, nuclear legacies, and questions of justice, demonstrating how scientific concepts can inform ethical and political thought. Her writing moves fluidly between theoretical physics, feminist theory, and philosophical inquiry, creating new pathways for understanding the entanglement of matter and meaning.

• honorary doctorate from Gothenburg University
• Fulbright fellowship
• Kresge College Teaching Award

Barad has received significant recognition for her scholarship and her research has been generously supported by major funding organizations including the National Science Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Hughes Foundation, the Irvine Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. As Co-Director of the Science & Justice Graduate Training Program at UCSC, Barad has mentored numerous graduate students and shaped interdisciplinary research connecting scientific inquiry with questions of social justice. Her collaborative work with scholars like Jenny Reardon has helped establish science & justice as a vital field of inquiry. Barad's approach to mentoring emphasizes the ethical responsibilities inherent in scientific and philosophical practices.

Through her leadership in the Science & Justice Research Center, which she helped found, Barad has fostered innovative collaborations across disciplines, creating spaces where scientists, humanists, and social scientists can work together on pressing contemporary issues. Her work continues to influence multiple fields, with ongoing projects exploring nuclear colonialism, ecological ethics, and the material consequences of scientific practices.