Kara received her bachelor's and master's degrees in biomedical engineering from Drexel University in 2007. She conducted her doctoral research in the design of semi-degradable hydrogels for the repair of articular cartilage in the Biomaterials and Drug Delivery Laboratory at Drexel and in the Shanghai Key Tissue Engineering Laboratory of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. After completing her PhD in 2010, when she received the award for Most Outstanding Doctoral Graduate: Most Promise to Enhance Drexel's Reputation, she conducted research in the design of scaffolds for bone tissue engineering as a Fulbright Fellow in the Biomaterials, Biodegradables, and Biomimetics (the 3Bs) Research Group at the University of Minho in Guimaraes, Portugal. She is currently conducting research in the design of immunomodularatory biomaterials, particularly for bone tissue engineering. Her research interests include cell-biomaterial interactionns, biomaterial design, and international engineering education.

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