We use field research, laboratory genomics, and statistical approaches to study the diversity of vertebrate life. Most of our work is on islands and island-like habitats in the Caribbean and the southeastern US, and we have a particular fondness for reptiles and amphibians. Students in the Reynolds Lab conduct original independent research both in the lab and in the field, attend conferences and research trips, and engage in community service.

Dr. Reynolds is a Professor of Biology at UNC Asheville, National Geographic Explorer, Associate of Herpetology at Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology, and Fellow of the Explorers Club.

His research combines cutting-edge genetic analysis with traditional field methods to study the evolution, ecology, and conservation of reptiles and amphibians across the southeastern United States and Caribbean. He specializes in Chilabothrus snakes and Anolis lizards, conducting fieldwork from Appalachian mountaintops to remote Caribbean islands—the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Turks and Caicos, and beyond.

Dr. Reynolds has co-authored Boas of the World, Boas of the West Indies, The Amphibians of Tennessee, and The Reptiles of Tennessee. Among his discoveries: four new snake species, including the critically endangered Silver Boa from a remote corner of the Bahamian Archipelago—now the world’s most endangered boid snake.

His work has been featured in the New York Times, Harvard Gazette, Discover Magazine, Newsweek, National Geographic, and Smithsonian Magazine.

As Red List Authority for both the Snake Specialist Group and Anoline Lizard Specialist Group, Dr. Reynolds helps guide global conservation priorities. He also serves his local community as Chair of the Board of Directors of Helpmate.