Karen Aardal is a Full Professor at TU Delft, in the Netherlands, specializing in integer and combinatorial optimization, with a focus on algebraic methods for solving integer optimization problems. Her research also includes algorithm analysis and practical applications in health and logistics. Karen has been actively involved in professional societies, serving as Chair of the Mathematical Optimization Society (MOS) and as a member of its Publications and Executive Committees. She has also been a board member of the INFORMS Computing Society for three terms. Her editorial contributions include roles as Area Editor for “Design and Analysis of Algorithms” at the INFORMS Journal on Computing and as Associate Editor for journals such as Mathematical Programming Series B, Networks, Operations Research Letters, and the EURO Journal on Computational Optimization. In addition, she co-edited the Handbook on Discrete Optimization, as well as volumes of Mathematical Programming Series B, and she chaired the Program Committee of IPCO 2023. Karen's service extends to national and international scientific organizations. She was a member of the Dutch Mathematics Council (2016–2021) and currently serves on the advisory committee of CWI Amsterdam, and the board of ENW at the Dutch Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). Recognized for her significant contributions to the field, Karen was named an INFORMS Fellow in 2019.