Katherine Barnes graduated from the Australian National University (ANU) with a BA (hons) in 1973. She continued her tertiary study, receiving a Diploma of Education, Canberra CAE (1974), an M. Litt. in English, ANU (1998) and a PhD in English, ANU (2003). Barnes has been a secondary school English teacher in Canberra and the UK, and has also taught at the ANU and the University of New South Wales at ADFA.
Barnes was the 2008 recipient of the Fryer Library Award enabling research in Australian literature, history and culture at The Unviversity of Queensland. Barnes received the Award to research Fryer's collection of the literary manuscripts of David Malouf (q.v.).