Karen was born and grew up in Leeds before moving to Bradford in 2006 with her partner. They have a son and daughter who keep them busy. After her A levels Karen worked for Yorkshire Bank for 16 months and then got a job at the University of Leeds in 1998, first assisting with research grant administration for 5 years, then spending 3 years assisting with consultancy contracts before moving to her current role as a research contracts manager in 2006.