Karen Livesey

Associate Professor Karen Livesey is a theoretical condensed matter physicist specializing in magnetic nanomaterials and their applications in medicine and computing. She holds dual roles as Associate Professor and Head of Physics at the University of Newcastle's School of Information and Physical Sciences (College of Engineering, Science and Environment). Previously, she served as Assistant Professor (2012–2018) and Associate Professor (2018–2020) at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS).

Education: BSc (Honours) and PhD in Physics from the University of Western Australia (UWA), followed by postdoctoral training at CSIRO and UCCS. She coordinates the UCCS Physics PhD program and has mentored students winning awards in poster competitions, Three-Minute Thesis, and fellowships.

Research focuses on magnetic thin films, nanoparticles, and their applications. Key areas include nonlinear dynamics, spin waves, and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction effects. Her work bridges theoretical models (e.g., Landau-Lifshitz equations) with experimental techniques like neutron reflectometry.

Awards: 2023 Superstar of STEM (Science and Technology Australia), 2019 Emmy Noether Fellowship (Perimeter Institute), and multiple teaching awards (Australian Awards for University Teaching, UoN CESE Excellence Awards). She is a frequent invited speaker at international conferences and public science events.

Grants: Over $569,789 from funders like the US National Science Foundation, Royal Society of New Zealand, and Australian Institute of Nuclear Science & Engineering. Current projects include studies on magnetic skyrmions and nanoparticle interactions.

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with international groups on neutron reflectometry (ANSTO), spintronics, and magnetic material design. Research outputs span 52+ journal articles, two book chapters, and media outreach as a STEM Superstar.