[2] Kimsey studies the biology and evolution of insects, with a primary focus on the systematics and phylogeny of families Tiphiidae, Chrysididae, Sphecidae, Pompilidae and Apidae.
These small wasps lay eggs in the chrysalis of butterflies or moths or the nest of unrelated species.
[7] Kimsey served as part of a team of UC Davis scientists and collaborators who received a five-year $4 million grant in 2008 to study the biodiversity of fungi, bacteria, plants, insects and vertebrates on Sulawesi, an Indonesian island near Borneo.
[12] Kimsey published the description of one additional species of wasp discovered in Sulawesi[13] called Mahinda sulawesiensis.
[14] Kimsey was a high school student when she conducted a survey of intertidal invertebrates of San Francisco Bay over 13 months from 1970–1971.
[18] As Director, Kimsey developed and expanded the Bohart Museum to reach over 7000 students through field trips and outreach events.
[19] In 2003, Kimsey's expertise in identifying insects on a rental car was instrumental for the FBI by providing evidence in the murder trial of Vincent Brothers.
She identified insects that were consistent with two major automotive routes between California and Kansas; her data supported court testimony that the round trip drive accounted for the 4,500 miles on the rental car.
[19] Kimsey is the only entomologist to work with the NASA SPLAT/Boeing group to research reduction in bug splats and increase fuel efficiency on aircraft.