Personal information

child development, Child Care, early education and care, families, disadvantage, longitudinal studies, Educator wellbeing, quality assessment in ECEC
Australia, United Kingdom, Norway

Biography

Karen Thorpe is a developmental scientist whose research examines the impact of early childhood experience on lifelong trajectories of learning, behaviour, social inclusion and health. Her particular focus is early childhood education and care (ECEC) and includes the factors affecting the quality of the ECEC environment including the qualification, skills and wellbeing of the ECEC workforce. Her work in Education, Social and Health public policy fields has twice been recognised by the Australian Financial Review “100 Women Of Influence” award.

Karen has 30 years experience utilising a range of research designs that include large-scale longitudinal, educational effectiveness, natural experiment and twin designs. She has experience in wide range of measurement methodologies (self-report measures, standard psychological assessment, observation, biological, physiological and genetic markers) and analysis including qualitative and quantitative methods . She has worked with and led international research teams and across disciplinary fields: Education, Paediatrics, Epidemiology and Psychology. She has >250 publications including a diverse range of top tier journals across Medicine, Health, Education and Psychology reports for Government and non-Government agencies and professional development materials. She has national and and international (UK/USA/NZ) competitive funding success research totalling >$130 million including $22 million in individual research funding and funding of three ARC centres of Excellence. In 2022 Karen was awarded an Australian Laureate fellowship to examine the barriers to provision of high quality ECEC in Australia’s most disadvantaged communities.

Karen Is a chief investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for children and Families across the Life Course ( Life Course Centre)

Activities

Employment (8)

The University of Queensland Queensland Brain Institute: Saint Lucia, QLD, AU

2022-04-15 to present | Australian Laureate Professor, Group Leader (Thorpe Lab)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Karen Thorpe

University of Melbourne Graduate School of Education: Melbourne, VIC, AU

2009 to present | Honorary Professorial Research Fellow (Education)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Karen Thorpe

The University of Queensland: Brisbane, QLD, AU

2017-04-01 to 2022-03 | Professor (Institute for Social Science Research)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Karen Thorpe

Queensland University of Technology Faculty of Health: Kelvin Grove, QLD, AU

2007-07 to 2017-04-14 | Professor (Psychology )
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Karen Thorpe

Queensland University of Technology: Brisbane, QLD, AU

2002-07 to 2007-07 | Professor (Early childhood)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Karen Thorpe

University of the West of England: Bristol, Bristol, GB

1999 to 2001 | Senior Lecturer (Psychology)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Karen Thorpe

Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience: London, London, GB

1993 to 2001 | Honorary Fellow (Social, developmental and genetic Psychiatry)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Karen Thorpe

University of Bristol Medical School: Bristol, Bristol, GB

1989 to 1999 | Research Fellow (Child Health)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Karen Thorpe

Education and qualifications (4)

The Open University: Milton Keynes, Milton Keynes, GB

1995 to 1995 | Post graduate Diploma in Psychology (Psychology)
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
Karen Thorpe

University of Bristol: Bristol, GB

1989-03-01 | Ph.D. (Graduate School of Education)
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
Karen Thorpe

Institute of Education, University of London: London, GB

1984-10-01 to 1985-09-01 | M.A.
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
Karen Thorpe

University of Tasmania: Hobart, TAS, AU

1978-03 to 1983-12 | B.Ed. (Hons 1)
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
Karen Thorpe

Professional activities (3)

Australian Research Council: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, AU

2022 | Australian Laureate Fellowship
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
Karen Thorpe

Australian Financial Review: Sydney, NSW, AU

2019 | Australian 100 Women of Influence
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
Karen Thorpe

Australian Financial Review: Sydney, New South Wales, AU

2013 | Australian 100 Women of Influence
Distinction
Source: Self-asserted source
Karen Thorpe

Funding (4)

Sleep Practices in Early Childhood: Research and Translation Program, Department

2015-06 to 2016-12 | Contract
Queensland Government (Brisbane, Queensland, AU)
Source: Self-asserted source
Karen Thorpe

Securing the data

2013-01-01 to 2013-01-01 | Grant
Australian Research Council (Canberra, AU)
GRANT_NUMBER: LE130100129
GRANT_NUMBER: LE130100129
Source: Self-asserted source
Karen Thorpe via DimensionsWizard

Promoting protective feeding practices to prevent childhood obesity: follow up of a successful obesity prevention program commencing in infancy.

2012-01-01 to 2014-12-31 | Grant
National Health and Medical Research Council (Canberra, AU)
GRANT_NUMBER: 1021065
GRANT_NUMBER: 1021065
Source: Self-asserted source
Karen Thorpe via DimensionsWizard

Interacting with knowledge, interacting with people: web searching in early childhood

2011-01-01 to 2013-01-01 | Grant
Australian Research Council (Canberra, AU)
GRANT_NUMBER: DP110104227
GRANT_NUMBER: DP110104227
Source: Self-asserted source
Karen Thorpe via DimensionsWizard

Peer review (40 reviews for 27 publications/grants)

Review activity for Appetite. (1)
Review activity for Australian educational researcher. (3)
Review activity for British educational research journal. (1)
Review activity for Child. (1)
Review activity for Children's geographies. (1)
Review activity for Children. (2)
Review activity for Contemporary issues in early childhood (3)
Review activity for Developmental science. (2)
Review activity for Early childhood research quarterly. (1)
Review activity for Early years. (1)
Review activity for Educational policy (2)
Review activity for Educational psychology review. (1)
Review activity for European journal of developmental psychology. (2)
Review activity for European journal of pediatrics (1)
Review activity for European journal of pediatrics. (1)
Review activity for International journal of early years education. (3)
Review activity for International journal of environmental research and public health (1)
Review activity for Journal of early childhood teacher education. (2)
Review activity for Journal of early intervention (1)
Review activity for Maternal and child health journal. (1)
Review activity for Maternal and child health journal. (1)
Review activity for npj science of learning. (1)
Review activity for Public health nutrition. (3)
Review activity for SN social sciences. (1)
Review activity for Teachers and teaching : (1)
Review activity for The Australian journal of social issues. (1)
Review activity for Wellcome open research. (1)