Kay is professor of Evolutionary Anthropology and Earth and Ocean Sciences, Nicholas School of the Environment (secondary) at Duke University.
He received his bachelor's degree (anthropology and zoology) from the University of Michigan (1969) and his M. Phil.
He served as chair of the Department of Biological Anthropology and Anatomy (Duke) from 1988 until 2003.
He has edited six scientific books about primate evolution and the fauna and geology of South America.
He was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2007 and was given Paleontological Recognition Award by the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Bolivia, in May 1999, and the Dr. Luis Federico Leloir Prize for International Cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation.