Karen Fox

Dr. Karen Fox is a Senior Academic Research Editor at the National Centre of Biography within the School of History at the Australian National University (ANU). She joined the NCB in 2011 after completing her PhD at ANU and MA at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.

• BA (Hons)
• MA (Canterbury)
• PhD (ANU)

Her research examines Australian and New Zealand history, imperial and colonial history, gender and feminist history, media history, and the history of fame and celebrity. She has taught courses on Australian and imperial history at ANU and authored works in journals like the Australian Journal of Politics and History and Women’s History Review.

The trends in her publications highlight interdisciplinary intersections of cultural history, biographical writing, and the politics of representation. Key subfields include colonial erasure, celebrity in imperial networks, gendered narratives, and transnational historical methodologies.

Current projects include an ARC-funded study (DP250101265) on women and colloquial language in Australia with Associate Professor Amanda Laugesen, and research on historical reputations and fame in Australian contexts. She co-chairs the Women's Working Party of the Australian Dictionary of Biography and convenes the 2025 course HIST8011 Biography and History.