Kimberly Gardner hails from Jersey City, NJ by way of Porus, Jamaica. She is an alumna of Howard University as well as an inaugural member of the Karsh STEM Scholars Program, a program dedicated to increasing the number of African-American students committed to getting a Ph.D. or MD-Ph.D. in the STEM discipline. She majored in nutritional sciences with a minor in chemistry and a concentration in dietetics as a part of the Coordinated Program in Dietetics. The program prepared graduates of Black/African American and ethnically diverse backgrounds for entry level positions as competent registered dietitian nutritionists. Kimberly is a board-certified registered dietitian (RD).

As Miss Blu N’ White 2019-2020, Kimberly hosted multiple metacognitive learning workshops on Howard University’s campus to help students retain information and pass gatekeeper courses. In 2020, she co-hosted a workshop called “Accessibility, Inclusion and Representation in Science Communication” at the first Black in Science Communication virtual conference, founded by Raven the Science Maven. She is also a published scientist in the Journal of Complementary Therapies in Medicine and the Howard University Undergraduate Research Journal, Ukweli. Kimberly is an avid disability justice advocate and co-organizer of the Jersey City American with Disabilities Act 30th Anniversary Festival. Her YouTube channel, Kimberly's Road to Ph.D., aims to inspire and encourage Black women in STEM by showcasing her journey, sharing advice and having various guests on her series "This Is What a Scientist Looks Like." Recently, she was featured on All About STEM Radio on the Fishbowl Radio Network, gave a virtual closing keynote address at the University at California, Los Angeles and presented on accessibility in science communication and social media on virtual panels for Cape Breton University.

She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Immunology at the University of California, Davis. Her research focuses on human nutrition immunology at the United States Department of Agriculture.