Her main research interests are the Cenozoic development of the Barents Sea area, with focus on glacial geomorphology, sediments and processes, shallow gas and fluid flow. She holds a PhD degree in applied geophysics from UiT.
Karin has taught marine geology and geophysics at all levels, and supervised many master’s and PhD students. She has also been a visiting professor at the University of Cambridge, the University of Montpellier, and the University of Barcelona.