Rate My Professor Lee Grismer

Lee Grismer is Professor of Biology and Director of Research in the Biology Department at La Sierra University, a position he has held since 1994. He received his B.S. in Biology from San Diego State University in 1980, his M.S. in Biology from the same institution in 1986, and his Ph.D. in Biology from Loma Linda University in 1994. Grismer's principal research interest is the evolutionary biology of Southeast Asian amphibians and reptiles. His research encompasses conservation, phylogenetic systematics, integrative taxonomy, herpetology, systematics, biogeography, and vertebrate natural history. He maintains an active field research program, leading expeditions that involve La Sierra University students in hands-on projects from design through publication.

Over three decades, Grismer has discovered 176 new amphibian and reptile species, primarily in Southeast Asia and the Baja Peninsula. In 2016 and 2017, he led teams on expeditions to remote limestone karst regions in war-torn Myanmar, uncovering 19 new gecko species, including 12 Cyrtodactylus bent-toed geckos and several Hemiphyllodactylus dwarf geckos. These findings, published in journals such as the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society and Journal of Natural History, emphasize the vulnerability of micro-endemic karst-adapted species to habitat destruction from quarrying and development. Grismer has authored or co-authored 348 peer-reviewed publications, accumulating over 6,800 citations. Representative works include "Integrative taxonomy uncovers high levels of cryptic species diversity in Hemiphyllodactylus Bleeker, 1860 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) and the description of a new species from Peninsular Malaysia" (Grismer et al., 2013, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society) and "Systematics and natural history of Southeast Asian Rock Geckos (genus Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887) with descriptions of eight new species from Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia" (Grismer et al., 2014, Zootaxa). His international collaborations include a conservation ark program for tiger geckos with Germany's Cologne Zoo. Grismer's contributions advance understanding of reptile diversity, evolution, and conservation imperatives.