Lynn Kimsey directed the Bohart Museum of Entomology for 34 years (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

UC Davis Distinguished Professor Lynn Kimsey: 'Amazing Scientist'

'I Can Never Repay Her for What I Have Learned'--Professor Fran Keller

by Kathy Keatley Garvey
June 24, 2024

Lynn Kimsey (right) receiving award. With her are Joanna Chiu (center, professor and chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and UC Davis doctoral alumna Fran Keller, Folsom Lakes College professor. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) — Lynn Kimsey (right) receiving award at the department's luncheon. With her are Joanna Chiu (center), professor and chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and UC Davis doctoral alumna Fran Keller, Folsom Lake College professor. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

UC Davis distinguished professor emerita Lynn Kimsey, entomologist, taxonomist and 34-year director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, is "an amazing scientist, science communicator and friend."

So said UC Davis doctoral alumna Fran Keller, a professor at Folsom Lake College and a Bohart Museum scientist, when she delivered a tribute at the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology's June 11th luncheon on the UC Davis Alumni Center's Moss Patio. The occasion: to honor the department's seven retiring or retired faculty members.

Kimsey, who specializes in Hymenoptera (bees and wasps) and insect diversity and evolution, retired Feb. 1, 2024. She joined the faculty in 1989 and had served as the Bohart Museum director since 1990. She is continuing her Hymenoptera research, as well as her work as executive director of the Friends of the Bohart Museum, and as newsletter editor, published quarterly.

"Lynn was my major professor," Keller said. "I can never repay her for what I have learned...and I’ll never be able to take her place."

In her remarks, Kimsey said she misses being a professor. "But not grading the term papers," she quipped.

“Thanks, all, for being so wonderful,” Kimsey said.

Lynn Kimsey leading class to the UC Davis Student Farm. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) — Lynn Kimsey (front, right) leading class to the UC Davis Student Farm in 2007. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Kimsey is a recognized authority on insect biodiversity, systematics and biogeography of parasitic wasps, urban entomology, civil forensic entomology, and arthropod-related industrial hygiene. A UC Davis entomology alumna, she received her undergraduate degree in 1975 and her doctorate in 1979. She was the last graduate student of Professor Richard Bohart for whom the insect museum is named.

Succeeding her as director of the Bohart Museum is Professor Jason Bond, the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair in the Department of Entomology and Nematology and associate dean, College of Environmental Sciences (CA&ES).

Lynn Kimsey at age 5 — Lynn Siri (now Kimsey) at age 5

At an earlier retirement event (April 20 at the Bohart Museum), Bond told the crowd “Lynn has had an incredible career of not only scientific accomplishment but unparalleled service to the university and our community,” Bond told the crowd. He described Kimsey’s career as “phenomenal—her contributions to science, the campus, the department, and the museum are, for lack of a better word--amazing--and were transformative. She was a scholar, teacher, department chair, and museum director. She impacted the lives of countless students, colleagues, and citizens across the state of California.”

Kimsey served as president of the International Society of Hymenopterists from 2002-2004, and as a member of the board of directors of the Natural Science Collections Alliance in 2000 and 2001. The Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America (PBESA) singled her out for its highest honor, the C. W. Woodworth Award, in 2020. She received the PBESA Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity Award in 2014 and was a member of "The Bee Team" that won the PBESA Outstanding Team Award in 2013. The UC Davis Academic Senate honored her with its Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award in 2016 in recognition of her outstanding work. And in 2023, CA&ES selected her as the recipient of its Exceptional Faculty Award.

Kimsey also served as vice chair of the Department of Entomology from 2005-2006 and again in 2009-2010, and as interim chair in 2008-2009. She spearheaded the planning and installation of the UC Davis Bee Haven on Bee Biology Road.

UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey honored at 21-Insect Net Salute in April 2024. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) — UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey honored at 21-Insect Net Salute on April 20, 2024. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

During her career, Kimsey published more than 140 scientific papers and three books and received more than $9 million in grant funds, including funds from the State of California, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Science Foundation.

"Lynn's research is exceptional in so many regards," Bond said at the April 20th event. "She is one of the few world experts on taxonomically difficult wasps which are showcased in the multitude of her publications which include the description of more than 200 new species and 17 new genera.“ In closing, Bond emphasized "the tremendous impact that Lynn has had--her science, teaching, outreach, and extension has been transformative. And she’s built a museum collection and associated outreach program that is the best in the entire UC system if not the state.”

(Editor's Note: Walter Leal, UC Davis distinguished professor of molecular and cell biology and former chair of the Department of Entomology, recorded Lynn Kimsey's speech. It is posted on X (formerly Twitter) at https://x.com/wsleal2014/status/1776732932901863666)

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