Ryan K. Kimbirauskas, M.A.

Forensic Entomologist and Ph.D. Candidate, Michigan State University

Ryan Kimbirauskas is a Ph.D. candidate in medical entomology at Michigan State University, where he is investigating the potential role of aquatic organisms in the transmission of Buruli ulcer disease in Ghana. He is also a Board Certified Forensic Entomologist.

Kimbirauskas received a bachelor's degree in biology from Alma College in 1995 and a maste's degree in aquatic entomology from Michigan State University in 2004, under the guidance of Dr. Richard Merritt.

From 2000 to 2003 he conducted masters research with the USDA Forest Service's Pacific Northwest Research Station, where he investigated the role of red alder on aquatic macroinvertebrates within headwater streams of regenerating forests. From 2004 to 2005 he served as research assistant in the Division of Math and Science Education at Michigan State University. Kimbirauskas has also been a consultant for BASF Inc. Mosquito Management, Clarke Environmental Mosquito Management, Crystal Mountain Resorts Black Fly Management, and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. He has taught a number of courses, including science for non-majors, science and math education for education majors, and forensic entomology. He has also worked on more than 50 forensic entomology cases and is frequently called upon to testify in court as an expert witness regarding insect evidence.

Kimbirauskas' research interests include: aquatic community/ecosystem ecology and land-use disturbance, microbial-invertebrate interactions, disease ecology, forensic entomology, and larval debridement therapy.

His awards and honors include: the Excellence in Teaching Citation, Michigan State University; Dr. Eugenia McDaniel Teaching Award; Tartan Award for Leadership; and Scholar Athlete Awards, MIAA, Alma College.

Kimbirauskas' research has been published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Journal of Forensic Sciences, Pan Pacific Entomologist and Ecological Restoration, among other publications. His abstracts have been presented or published at the International Congress of Entomology in Durban, South Africa, the North American Forensic Entomology Association Annual Meeting in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the North American Benthological Society meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the European Association of Forensic Entomology in Kolymbari, Crete, among other places. He is also working with Dr. Richard Merritt to develop a training video on how to properly collect insect evidence during criminal investigations, and recently developed an online course through Michigan State University covering the various ways insects can and have been used as evidence during death investigation.

Kimbirauskas is a member of the Entomological Society of America, the North American Benthological Society, the North American Forensic Entomology Association, the American Academy of Forensic Science, and Trout Unlimited. He is also an ad hoc reviewer for the Journal of Medical Entomology and Annals of the Entomological Society of America.