R. Graham Reynolds is a Professor of Biology and holds an appointment at Harvard University as an Associate of Herpetology in the Museum of Comparative Zoology. He is a National Geographic Explorer and a Fellow of The Explorers Club.

Dr. Reynolds is a tropical biologist whose research focuses on the biodiversity of endangered species and the discovery of new species on remote islands. In his lab, he uses DNA data to understand the impact of small population size on genetic diversity and species relationships. His research is highly collaborative, and he regularly works with institutions such as the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, the North Carolina Zoo, the Ft. Worth Zoo, the St. Louis Zoo, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, among others.

He has traveled extensively worldwide, photographing wildlife to use in his teaching lectures. His research has been featured in the New York Times, Harvard Gazette, Discover Magazine, CNN, Newsweek, National Geographic, El Mundo, the BBC, Scientific American, and Smithsonian Magazine, among others.

Reynolds volunteers with global wildlife conservation organizations, including as a Red List Authority and taxonomy expert for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Education

• Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee Knoxville
• B.A. in Biology, Duke University

Courses Taught

• BIOL 135 Concepts of Ecology and Evolution
• BIOL 173 The Biology of Star Wars
• BIOL 210 Principles of Zoology
• BIOL 350 Vertebrate Field Zoology
• BIOL 480 Senior Seminar
• HON 492 Honors Seminar

Appointments and Fellowships

• Fellow of the Explorers Club
• National Geographic Explorer
• Associate, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University
• Editor, Journal of Herpetology

Books

• Reynolds, R.G., R.W. Henderson (Eds). 2026. Boas of the World. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca, NY.
• Reynolds, R.G., R.W. Henderson, L.M. Díaz, T.R. Rodriguez-Cabrera, and A.R. Puente-Rolón. 2023. Boas of the West Indies: Evolution, Natural History, and Conservation. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca, NY. 288 pgs.
• Niemiller, M.L. R.G. Reynolds, and B.T. Miller (Eds.). 2013. The Reptiles of Tennessee. The University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, TN. 366 pgs.
• Niemiller, M.L. and R.G. Reynolds (Eds.). 2011. The Amphibians of Tennessee. The University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, TN. 369 pgs.

Previous Positions Held

• UNC Asheville, Director of the Honors Program
• Harvard University, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology,
• University of Massachusetts Boston, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Biology

Reynolds Lab Website