Karen R. Lawrence comes to Sarah Lawrence from the School of Humanities at the University of California, Irvine, where she served as dean—as well as professor of English and comparative literature—since 1998. A widely respected English literature scholar and teacher, Dr. Lawrence has a special interest in James Joyce, travel writing, and modern fiction. She taught English at the University of Utah from 1978 to 1997, has written or edited five books on literature, and has published widely in leading academic journals.

Dr. Lawrence attended Smith College and received a B.A. in English from Yale University. She earned a master’s degree in English from Tufts University and a Ph.D. in English, with distinction, from Columbia University. She has received numerous awards and professional accolades, including a John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, the Ramona Cannon Award for Distinguished Teaching in the Humanities, and the University of Utah’s prestigious Rosenblatt Prize for Excellence in Research, Teaching and Service.

Dr. Lawrence is married to Peter F. Lawrence, M.D., professor of surgery, chief of vascular surgery, director of the Gonda (Goldschmied) Vascular Center, and Bergman professor of vascular research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at U.C.L.A. The Lawrences have two children: Andy, an alumnus of Dartmouth College, and Jeff, an alumnus of Amherst College.