diff --git a/lib/mayaUsd/ufe/UsdSceneItem.cpp b/lib/mayaUsd/ufe/UsdSceneItem.cpp
index 2d50c39896..221aaf59de 100644
--- a/lib/mayaUsd/ufe/UsdSceneItem.cpp
+++ b/lib/mayaUsd/ufe/UsdSceneItem.cpp
@@ -15,6 +15,16 @@
 //
 #include "UsdSceneItem.h"
 
+#include <pxr/base/tf/type.h>
+#if USD_VERSION_NUM < 2005
+#include <pxr/usd/usd/schemaBase.h>
+#else
+#include <pxr/usd/usd/primTypeInfo.h>
+#endif
+#if USD_VERSION_NUM >= 2008
+#include <pxr/usd/usd/schemaRegistry.h>
+#endif
+
 MAYAUSD_NS_DEF {
 namespace ufe {
 
@@ -39,5 +49,48 @@ std::string UsdSceneItem::nodeType() const
 	return fPrim.GetTypeName();
 }
 
+#if UFE_PREVIEW_VERSION_NUM >= 2020
+std::vector<std::string> UsdSceneItem::ancestorNodeTypes() const
+{
+	std::vector<std::string> strAncestorTypes;
+
+#if USD_VERSION_NUM < 2005
+	static const TfType schemaBaseType = TfType::Find<UsdSchemaBase>();
+	const TfType schemaType = schemaBaseType.FindDerivedByName(fPrim.GetTypeName().GetString());
+#else
+	// Get the actual schema type from the prim definition.
+	const TfType& schemaType = fPrim.GetPrimTypeInfo().GetSchemaType();
+#endif
+	if (!schemaType) {
+		TF_CODING_ERROR("Could not find prim type '%s' for prim %s",
+			fPrim.GetTypeName().GetText(), UsdDescribe(fPrim).c_str());
+		return strAncestorTypes;
+	}
+
+	// According to the USD docs GetAllAncestorTypes() is expensive, so we keep a cache.
+	static std::map<TfType, std::vector<std::string>> ancestorTypesCache;
+	const auto iter = ancestorTypesCache.find(schemaType);
+	if (iter != ancestorTypesCache.end()) {
+		return iter->second;
+	}
+
+	std::vector<TfType> tfAncestorTypes;
+	schemaType.GetAllAncestorTypes(&tfAncestorTypes);
+	for (const TfType& ty : tfAncestorTypes)
+	{
+#if USD_VERSION_NUM >= 2008
+		// If there is a concrete schema type name, we'll return that since it is what
+		// is used/shown in the UI (ex: 'Xform' vs 'UsdGeomXform').
+		auto concreteType = UsdSchemaRegistry::GetConcreteSchemaTypeName(ty);
+		strAncestorTypes.emplace_back(!concreteType.IsEmpty() ? concreteType : ty.GetTypeName());
+#else
+		strAncestorTypes.emplace_back(ty.GetTypeName());
+#endif
+	}
+	ancestorTypesCache[schemaType] = strAncestorTypes;
+	return strAncestorTypes;
+}
+#endif
+
 } // namespace ufe
 } // namespace MayaUsd
diff --git a/lib/mayaUsd/ufe/UsdSceneItem.h b/lib/mayaUsd/ufe/UsdSceneItem.h
index 0e6fc5044c..727dedd15b 100644
--- a/lib/mayaUsd/ufe/UsdSceneItem.h
+++ b/lib/mayaUsd/ufe/UsdSceneItem.h
@@ -48,6 +48,9 @@ class MAYAUSD_CORE_PUBLIC UsdSceneItem : public Ufe::SceneItem
 
 	// Ufe::SceneItem overrides
 	std::string nodeType() const override;
+#if UFE_PREVIEW_VERSION_NUM >= 2020
+	std::vector<std::string> ancestorNodeTypes() const override;
+#endif
 
 private:
 	UsdPrim fPrim;
diff --git a/test/lib/ufe/CMakeLists.txt b/test/lib/ufe/CMakeLists.txt
index dabe2aa3a5..5b66c1ba78 100644
--- a/test/lib/ufe/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/test/lib/ufe/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ if(CMAKE_UFE_V2_FEATURES_AVAILABLE)
 		testParentCmd.py
         testRotateCmd.py
         testScaleCmd.py
+        testSceneItem.py
         testTransform3dTranslate.py
     )
     if(UFE_PREVIEW_VERSION_NUM GREATER_EQUAL 2009)
diff --git a/test/lib/ufe/testSceneItem.py b/test/lib/ufe/testSceneItem.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d434936199
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/lib/ufe/testSceneItem.py
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+
+#
+# Copyright 2020 Autodesk
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+#
+
+import maya.cmds as cmds
+
+from ufeTestUtils import usdUtils, mayaUtils
+import ufe
+
+import unittest
+import os
+
+class SceneItemTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
+    '''Verify the SceneItem UFE interface.
+    '''
+
+    pluginsLoaded = False
+
+    @classmethod
+    def setUpClass(cls):
+        if not cls.pluginsLoaded:
+            cls.pluginsLoaded = mayaUtils.isMayaUsdPluginLoaded()
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        ''' Called initially to set up the maya test environment '''
+        self.assertTrue(self.pluginsLoaded)
+
+        # Open top_layer.ma scene in test-samples
+        mayaUtils.openTopLayerScene()
+
+    @unittest.skipIf(os.getenv('UFE_PREVIEW_VERSION_NUM', '0000') < '2020', 'testNodeTypes only available in UFE preview version 0.2.20 and greater')
+    def testNodeTypes(self):
+        '''Engine method to run scene item test.'''
+
+        # Get a UFE scene item for one of the balls in the scene.
+        ball35Path = ufe.Path([
+            mayaUtils.createUfePathSegment("|world|transform1|proxyShape1"), 
+            usdUtils.createUfePathSegment("/Room_set/Props/Ball_35")])
+        ball35Item = ufe.Hierarchy.createItem(ball35Path)
+
+        # Ball35 is an Xform.
+        ball35NodeType = ball35Item.nodeType()
+        self.assertEqual(ball35NodeType, "Xform")
+
+        # This node type should be the first item on the ancestor node type list
+        # and it should have other items.
+        ball35AncestorNodeTypes = ball35Item.ancestorNodeTypes()
+        self.assertEqual(ball35NodeType, ball35AncestorNodeTypes[0])
+        self.assertTrue(len(ball35AncestorNodeTypes) > 1)