Kara has a background in physics specialising in nuclear physics, in which she has a Ph.D. in laser assisted nuclear decay spectroscopy from the University of Manchester.
During and after her Ph.D., Kara worked at CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research in Switzerland. During her time at CERN, Kara gained experience in ionizing radiation, particle detectors, vacuum equipment, data analysis, equipment control (software and hardware), and nuclear and atomic physics. Following her Ph.D., Kara worked as a post-doctoral researcher with KU Leuven in Belgium. She then spent three years as a CERN Research Fellow.
Kara has written for many notable publications, and has presented at international conferences and workshops. In 2013, Kara was awarded the Institute of Physics Nuclear Physics Group Early Career award, and in 2016, she was awarded the IUPAP Young Scientist Prize in Nuclear Physics.
Kara also holds a first class MPhys degree in Physics from the University of York.