Karen Naimer directs the Program on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zones at Physicians for Human Rights (PHR). The program is a training and advocacy initiative that bolsters the ability of medical, law enforcement, and legal professionals to support effective prosecutions and access to justice for survivors of sexual violence by collecting, documenting, and preserving forensic evidence related to these crimes. Her work has been featured or cited in many media outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, PBS NewsHour, the BBC, NPR’s All Things Considered, Foreign Policy, PLOS One, and The Lancet.

Prior to PHR, Naimer was an Associate Professor at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs, where she taught international law. In 2007-2008, Naimer was the Edmond J. Safra Faculty Fellow at Harvard University’s Center for Ethics. Previously, Naimer served as Deputy Counsel at the Independent Inquiry Committee into the United Nations Oil-For-Food Programme ("the Volcker Commission"), where she investigated widespread corruption among the most senior UN personnel and Security Council member states. She also served as a Legal Fellow in the Office of the President at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, and was an Associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP in New York. Naimer holds a BA from McGill University, an MA in international relations from the University of Toronto, a JD from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, and an LLM in international legal studies from New York University School of Law.