Karen Sinclair is a Ngarrindjeri educator and governance advocate with experience across teaching, research, and Aboriginal board governance. She began her career as a junior primary teacher before moving into higher education, where she served as Program Director for Aboriginal Studies at the University of South Australia.  
 
Karen is currently Professor of Indigenous Learning and Teaching at Adelaide University and teaches a range of postgraduate and undergraduate courses, continually refining the curriculum through strong relationships with Aboriginal communities and her lived experience in governance practice. She teaches several Postgraduate courses including Aboriginal Research Methodologies and Ethics, First Nations Knowledges in Research and Rebuilding Aboriginal Nations.
 
Karen’s governance expertise includes serving as the Indigenous Representative of the University’s Human Research Ethics Committee, Transitional Academic Board, and is a Board Director of the Australian Indigenous Governance Institute.
 
Through her combined teaching and governance work, Karen is committed to centering Aboriginal voices, perspectives, aspirations, and inherent governance rights, and to strengthening future generations of Aboriginal leaders and institutions.