Karen Walker is Associate Director of Research Development at Arizona State University (ASU). She
manages ASU’s Strategic Intelligence (SI) team. Prior to joining ASU, she had a 15-year career in
research and development in the biotech industry, focused primarily on molecular diagnostics. Karen
launched the competitive intelligence function at ASU in 2013. She is the founder of the national
Competitive Intelligence Working Group and is certified in CI practices from the Strategic Consortium of
Intelligence Professionals. Karen received the 2022 Innovation Award from the National Organization of
Research Development Professionals (NORDP) for her contributions to establishing academic
competitive intelligence as a field within research development.