Karen J. Colley is an American glycobiologist and academic administrator serving as the provost of the University of Illinois Chicago since 2023.
[1] She was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles where she researched cell and molecular biology.
[1] In 1991, Colley joined the University of Illinois Chicago as an assistant processor of biochemistry.
[2] Colley was the cofounder of the graduate education in medical sciences program at the University of Illinois College of Medicine.
[2][4] On July 21, 2023, she became the provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs of the University of Illinois Chicago.