Karen spent a lot of her time underwater while pursuing a BSc Biology degree (hons) at Manchester University, UK, but learning to SCUBA dive in waters of Scotland and North Wales prompted her to find warmer waters. She achieved her PhD under the guidance of Dr. Isabelle Côte at University of East Anglia, UK on cleaning gobies in the Caribbean. After this she worked with Isabelle on cleaner wrasse mimicry and eventually this led to Australia on a Royal Society Postdoctoral Fellowship to work with Dr. Lexa Grutter and Prof. Justin Marshall at the University of Queensland, Brisbane.