Karinne's expertise is on the application of legal instruments and principles, such as regulatory frameworks and torts, to scientific innovation. Her focus is the integration of science, commercialisation challenges and law. A key feature of her research is its incorporation of law reform recommendations which have been acted on by relevant bodies.

Law around innovative science crosses commercial fields. For example, her expertise around genetics crosses agriculture and human reproduction. It is dynamic and specialised, requiring a multidisciplinary approach based on a solid understanding of science and commercialisation issues.

Karinne's research focuses on the integration of science, commercialisation challenges and law, particularly around biotechnology and nanotechnology in all their applications including health, agriculture and industry. She is the author of 44 refereed articles and book chapters published in Australia, the United States, United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Karinne is also author or editor of books published in Australia, the United States and UK and she has presented papers and lectures in numerous European countries as well as in Canada and the United States.

Current projects include a project on regulating genome editing in food and agriculture as well as an ARC Disocvery grant funded research on inheritable genetic modification of human embryos, including the use of mitochondrial donation and genome editing.

Karinne was lead author of a report commissioned by the Australian Government on preparing Australian regulatory frameworks for nanotechnology and a later report on preparing those frameworks for innovation more generally. Her work has been cited by entities such as the Australian Law Reform Commission, Justice Kirby of the Australian High Court, various Parliamentary inquiries including the Australian Senate Inquiry into mitochondrial donation, the US National Academies of Science, and Australian law texts.

Karinne has developed and taught innovative inter-disciplinary undergraduate and postgraduate units in Law and in non-Law programs, at the forefront of legal and scientific developments, achieving exceptional SETU and TE results and a number of Faculty awards. 

Karinne has served on important government (Victorian Biotechnology Ethics Advisory Committee (VBEAC) 2006-2008) and medical policy committees (law chair, Victorian Newborn Screening Committee 2009-2013). She has also previously served on the Faculty's Executive Committee (as Associate Dean Academic Resourcing 2016-2017 and Director Equity 2011-2013).

Prior to academia, Karinne's commercial expertise was developed through 10 years in private legal practice with major law firms including 3 years with legal advisors to CSIRO and Cooperative Research Centres on commercialisation, intellectual property and funding.

Regulation of, and legal challenges for, emerging technologies including biotechnology, nanotechnology and synthetic biology. Public policy around new science.

Torts liability.

LAW4193 Biotechnology and the law SEM2/T3

LAW5003 Principles of torts SEM2/T3