Kimmerer, Robin
Robin Kimmerer
Robin Wall Kimmerer is a leading scientist, researcher, and professor of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and science, plant ecology, and botany. Dr. Kimmerer is the author of the critically acclaimed book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants. Dr. Kimmerer teaches at the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, New York. Dr. Kimmerer has received numerous awards for her work, including the John Burroughs Medal Award and the Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award.
“I was born to be a botanist.” - Robin Wall Kimmerer, 2005.
Kimmerer, R. W. (2013). Braiding sweetgrass: Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants. Milkweed Editions.
Kimmerer, R. W. (2002). Weaving traditional ecological knowledge into biological education: A call to action. BioScience, 52(5), 432-438.
Kimmerer, R. W. & Lake, F. K. (2001). The role of indigenous burning in land management. Journal of Forestry, 99(11), 36-41.
Kimmerer, R. W. (2000). Native knowledge for native ecosystems. Journal of Forestry, 98(8), 4-9. Kimmerer, R. W. (2003). Gathering moss: A natural and cultural history of mosses. Penguin UK.
Robin Wall Kimmerer was born in 1953 to Robert and Patrica Wall in rural upstate New York. Growing up, she spent most of her time in the woods and fields, observing plants and cultivating her appreciation for nature. Her parents played an important role in her growth as an environmental scientist, as it was important to them to conserve and appreciate the environment in all its glory. When she was a child, her parents gave her a book written by an ecologist, and soon after, she learned she could have a career based on the study of plants. This realization led her down an educational path toward a degree in botany. Dr. Kimmerer has European and Anishnaabe ancestry and is an enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Her maternal grandfather was forced to attend the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, one of the first boarding schools that sought to assimilate Native children. Knowing the importance of learning and protecting the Potawatomi language and culture, DR. Kimmerer took language classes.
Dr. Kimmerer attended the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY EFS) in Syracuse and earned a Bachelor of Science in Botany in 1975. She attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison, for her Master of Science in Botany in 1979 and a Ph.D. in Plant Ecology in 1983. Kimmerer held many positions with various companies while she was a student. During Dr. Kimmerer’s graduate work, she studied mosses, which have become a career focus.
In 1975, after graduating from SUNY and before starting graduate school, Dr. Kimmerer worked as a microbiologist in the optical division of Bausch & Lomb. Two years after she started this position, Dr. Kimmerer decided the corporate world was not for her and moved to Wisconsin for graduate school. After graduate school, Dr. Kimmerer started a family and, while raising her children, worked part-time at Transylvania University in Lexington, KY. She moved to Danville, Kentucky, to teach at Centre College, a liberal arts college. There, she taught general biology, botany, ecology, field biology, plants and culture, and tropical ecology. She received tenure at Centre College but, in 1993, decided to return to SUNY EFS.
Dr. Kimmerer wanted to return to her upstate New York roots and teach at SUNY EFS because she felt giving back to her home state was more rewarding. She was also interested in working with Native Americans, the issues that pertain to this group, and conducting research that was not possible in Kentucky.
At SUNY EFS. Dr. Kimmerer is a professor in the Environmental and Forest Biology Department. She teaches botany, traditional ecological knowledge, ecology of mosses, ethnobotany, and disturbance ecology. Dr. Kimmerer seeks to convey the value of both scientific perspectives and traditional ecological knowledge. She aims to increase Indigenous contributions to scientific research and increase opportunities for Native students interested in environmental sciences. At SUNY EFS, Dr. Kimmerer’s work focuses on the restoration of landscapes and the restoration of relationships with land.
Dr. Kimmerer founded the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment. She directs the center, which develops programming to address sustainability using indigenous and scientific knowledge. Although Dr. Kimmere values acceptance by the scientific community, she would also like to be known for bringing a unique perspective to understanding plant ecology.
Dr. Kimmerer has been a writer in residence at several institutions, including the Andrews Experimental Forest, Blue Mountain Center, the Sitka Center, and the Mesa Refuge. In 2003, Kimmerer published her first book, Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses. In 2005, Gathering Moss earned a John Burroughs Medal for Nature Writing. In 2013, Dr. Kimmerer published her second book, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants. In her books, Dr. Kimmerer offers personal insights, experiences as a plant ecologist, and her understanding of traditional knowledge.
Dr. Kimmerer is widely published. In addition to her two books, she has written several book chapters and over three dozen journal articles. In 2013, Dr. Kimmerer received the John Burroughs Medal Award for her essay “Council of the Pecans,” published in Onion magazine. In 2014, she received the Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award for Braiding Sweetgrass.
Although Dr. Kimmerer has had many achievements, it has not been without challenges. She has often felt an undercurrent of isolation during her career. She says that although being part of “the group” by following traditional paths set by others in the field is necessary, she struggles to do her work her way. Despite these ebbs and flows, Dr. Kimmerer loves her job. She loves to create a community of people interested in strengthening the environmental field. Most importantly, she gets lots of support and recognition from her students; this makes a huge difference and puts value in her work.
Dr. Kimmerer is a Senior Fellow for the Center of Nature and Humans. She co-founded the Traditional Ecological Knowledge Section of the Ecological Society of America and was its president. She is a Strategies for Ecology Education, Development, and Sustainability (SEEDS) program advisory board member. The SEEDS program works to increase the number of people of color ecologists. Dr. Kimmerer is involved in the American Indian Science & Engineering Society (ASIES).
In 2015, Dr. Kimmerer was an invited panelist on a United Nations plenary, “Harmony with Nature: Towards achieving sustainable development goals including addressing climate change in the post-2015 Development Agenda”. In 2020, she received an Honorary Master of Philosophy degree in Human Ecology from the College of the Atlantic. In 2022, Dr. Kimmerer received a MacArthur Genius Award.
She uses traditional knowledge and science jointly for ecological restoration research. Dr. Kimmerer fosters diversity in the field by showing how multiculturalism significantly affects how science is conducted, especially ecological restoration.
Dr. Kimmerer considers her most significant achievement was raising two daughters as a single parent while pursuing a career.
Dr. Kimmerer attributes her success to the many great people who have impacted her life. She had several mentors and advisors who helped guide her. An undergraduate professor, Ed Cetchledge, gave her the confidence to persevere even when she did not think she could be a scientist. He was such an essential part of her life that they have kept in touch over the years. During graduate school, Dr. Kimmerer had advisors and peers who provided support. Specifically, Dr. Orie Loucks took great interest in her work and counseled her about possible career moves that could be beneficial.
Because of the help she received, Dr. Kimmerer gives herself to help other minorities in the field. For example, Dr. Kimmerer supports the Undergraduate Mentoring in Environmental Biology (UMEB) project. The program pairs students of color with faculty members in environmental biology sciences to collaborate on research.
Dr. Kimmerer also works with the Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program through the United States Department of Agriculture, which provides students with real-world experiences with complex problem-solving. Dr. Kimmerer also mentors students on the SUNY ESF campus. The school has few female and minority faculty. She enjoys mentoring native and non-native students. She also does community outreach with the Onondaga Nation’s school.
Her achievements and status within the environmental field make her a great person to turn to for words of wisdom. Dr. Kimmerer says that minorities interested in environmental careers should learn about how the system works to have credentials and to bring all of themselves to the process of becoming the best in the field. Further, she states that science suffers from a narrow vision because it is a self-perpetuating domain riddled with roadblocks. Dr. Kimmerer says students should bring their unique perspectives as they are much needed.
SUNYESF. (n.d.). Robin Kimmerer. https://www.esf.edu/faculty/kimmerer/ Robin Wall Kimmerer. (n.d.). Robin Wall Kimmerer. https://www.robinwallkimmerer.com/about
Taylor, Dorceta (Ed.). 2005. The Paths We Thread: Profiles of the Careers of Minority Environmental Professionals. Minority Environmental Leadership Development Initiative, University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment.
Robin Wall Kimmerer {Photo]. Robin Wall Kimmerer. n.d. Retrieved from https://www.robinwallkimmerer.com/about