Karen L. Wooley received a Bachelors of Science degree in Chemistry from Oregon State University in 1988 and then studied under the direction of Professor Jean M. J. Fréchet at Cornell University, obtaining a Ph.D. in polymer/organic chemistry in 1993.   She then began an academic career as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and was promoted in 1999 to Full Professor with tenure.   Since 1996, Karen has also held an appointment in the Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Bio-organic Chemistry Program.

Wooley's research interests include the synthesis and characterization of degradable polymers, unique macromolecular architectures and complex polymer assemblies.   She has received young investigator awards from the National Science Foundation (1994-99), the Army Research Office (1996-99), and the Office of Naval Research (1998-01).   Karen was named as a DuPont Young Professor (1996-99) and she received a 2002 Arthur C. Cope Young Scholar Award.

In 2002, Wooley also was awarded an NSF Division of Materials Research, Special Creativity Extension and she was the recipient of the Academy of Science of Saint Louis Innovation Award.   She is Vice Chair for the 2005 Polymers (East) Gordon Research Conference, a Co-organizer, for the 2005 US-Japan Joint Seminar on Polymer Chemistry, and the U.S. Area Coordinator for Materials Science and Nanotechnology for Pacifichem 2005.

Karen currently serves as an Alternate Councilor for the American Chemical Society, Division of Polymer Chemistry, as an Editor for the Journal of Polymer Science, Part A:   Polymer Chemistry , as a member of the Editorial Advisory boards of Nano Letters , and Supramolecular Chemistry , and on the Advisory Board of the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network, among many other advisory roles within Washington University and the broader scientific community.