Rate My Professor Karen Livesey

Karen Livesey is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Computer and Information Sciences at the University of Newcastle's College of Engineering, Science and Environment, where she previously served as Associate Professor and Head of Physics until January 2026. A theoretical condensed matter physicist specializing in magnetic nanomaterials, she earned her Bachelor of Science with Honours, Doctor of Philosophy, and Diploma in Modern Languages from the University of Western Australia. Following postdoctoral training at CSIRO and the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS), she joined UCCS as Assistant Professor of Physics in 2012, advancing to Associate Professor with tenure in 2018 before relocating to Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. She now holds additional honorary positions, including Honorary Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Wollongong and Adjunct Associate Professor of Physics at UCCS.

Her research investigates magnetic thin films and nanoparticles for applications in medicine and computing, focusing on electromagnetic theory, high-frequency dynamics, nanoparticles, and theoretical condensed matter physics. Notable publications include 'Consequences of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction' in Surface Science Reports (2023), 'Probing Materials With Electromagnetic Waves: From Bulk Materials to Microstructures' (2020), 'Curie-Weiss behavior and the interaction temperature of magnetic nanoparticle ensembles' in Physical Review B (2024), and highly cited papers such as 'Exploiting unique alignment of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles, mild hyperthermia, and controlled intrinsic cobalt toxicity for cancer therapy' in Advanced Materials (2020, 178 citations) and 'Beyond the blocking model to fit nanoparticle ZFC/FC magnetisation curves' in Scientific Reports (2018, 140 citations). Livesey has obtained research funding from the US National Science Foundation, UK Royal Society, and Perimeter Institute. She has received the 2024 Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning from Australian Awards for University Teaching, Superstar of STEM (2023, Science & Technology Australia), Women in Physics National Lecturer (2023, delivering 50 talks across Australia), Emmy Noether Visiting Fellow (2018-19, Perimeter Institute), Europhysics Letters Distinguished Referee (2016), and several teaching excellence awards including UoN CESE Teaching Excellence Awards (2021, 2022) and LAS College Outstanding Teaching Award (2018). Livesey has presented invited talks at international conferences and seminars on three continents, coordinated physics PhD programs, appeared in media and public talks, and mentored PhD students who won poster awards, three-minute thesis competitions, and fellowships, demonstrating her significant influence in the academic field.