Lynn Kimsey

Lynn S. Kimsey is a Distinguished Professor Emerita of Entomology in the Department of Entomology and Nematology at the University of California, Davis. A UC Davis alumna, she earned her B.S. in Entomology in 1976 and Ph.D. in Entomology in 1979, as the last graduate student of Professor Richard Bohart. After postdoctoral research in Bohart's lab and serving as a research associate at Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology, Kimsey joined the UC Davis faculty in 1989. She directed the Bohart Museum of Entomology for 34 years, from 1990 until her retirement on February 1, 2024, expanding its holdings from fewer than 400 specimens to over eight million and establishing it as the seventh largest insect collection in North America. She held administrative positions including vice chair (2005-2006, 2009-2010) and interim chair (2008-2009) of the department, and now serves as executive director of the Bohart Museum Society.

Kimsey's research focuses on the biology, evolution, systematics, phylogeny, biodiversity, and biogeography of insects, particularly parasitic wasps in families Tiphiidae, Chrysididae, Sphecidae, Pompilidae, Apidae, and Crabronidae, along with functional morphology, mating behavior of wasps and bees, urban entomology, and civil forensic entomology. She has published over 140 scientific papers and three books, including California Cuckoo Wasps in the Family Chrysididae (2006), and described more than 200 new species and 17 new genera. Kimsey secured over $9 million in grants from the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and State of California. Her influence extends through presidency of the International Society of Hymenopterists (2002-2004), service on the Natural Science Collections Alliance board (2000-2001), and identification of approximately 2,000 insects annually for public and professional inquiries. Awards include Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences (2025), C.W. Woodworth Award (2020), Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity Award (2014), and Outstanding Team Award as part of The Bee Team (2013), all from the Pacific Branch Entomological Society of America; UC Davis Academic Senate Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award (2016); and College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Exceptional Faculty Award (2023).

Professional Email: lskimsey@ucdavis.edu