Karen Steel

Associate Professor Karen Steel is a faculty member at the School of Chemical Engineering, University of Queensland, with a career spanning over two decades in energy, coal science, and sustainable mineral processing. She obtained her B.E. (1995) and Ph.D. (1999) from the University of Melbourne, followed by roles as Research Fellow and Lecturer at the University of Nottingham (2000–2008) and Senior Lecturer at University of Queensland (2009–2018).

Her research focuses on coal science, gas recovery, and CO2 sequestration, integrating experimental methods like high-temperature rheometry and X-ray micro-CT to innovate in metallurgical coke production, coal seam permeability, and mineral carbonation. Current projects include biocoke development from biomass-coal blends and 4D X-ray microscopy for pore structure analysis.

Key collaborations: ACARP, BHP, Santos, and CSIRO. Funding sources include ARC Discovery Projects and industry grants from Anglo American and QGC. Her work supports Australia's coal and LNG export industries while addressing climate challenges through low-emission steel production and CO2 storage.

She supervises PhD/MPhil students in areas like high-value biocoke, nickel recovery, and oxidant stimulation. Her team employs advanced imaging and chemical stimulation techniques to solve critical industry problems.