Richard Frederick Kay (born October 21, 1947, in

New York, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

) is an American paleontologist and anthropologist. Kay is professor of

Evolutionary Anthropology Evolutionary anthropology, the interdisciplinary study of the human evolution, evolution of human physiology and human behaviour and of the relation between hominids and non-hominid primates, builds on natural science and on social science. Vari ...

and Earth and Ocean Sciences, Nicholas School of the Environment (secondary) at

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

. He received his bachelor's degree (anthropology and zoology) from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

(1969) and his M.Phil. (1971) and Ph.D. (1973) in geology from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

. He served as chair of the Department of Biological Anthropology and Anatomy (Duke) from 1988 until 2003. His scientific interests include the study of functional anatomy and adaptations of Primates, and primate evolution. Since 1983, he has conducted collaborative paleontology research in South America. 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 The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

in 2007 and was given Paleontological Recognition Award by the

Museo Nacional de Historia Natural Museo may refer to: * ''Museum'' (2018 film), Mexican drama heist film *Museo station Museo is a Naples Metro station on Line 1. It opened on 5 April 2001 as the eastern terminus of the section of the line between Vanvitelli and Museo. On 27 Ma ...

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

, in May 1999, and the Dr. Luis Federico Leloir Prize for International Cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation. Argentina Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation. He was the Gordon Getty Laureate for 2020.

References

Living people American anthropologists Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Duke University faculty 1947 births University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni {{US-anthropologist-stub