Kelly Reynolds

Kelly Reynolds specializes in water quality, food safety and disease transmission. She is working on several projects, including one in which she joins UA engineers to apply lasers to detect human viruses in drinking water. This technology would expedite the process of discovering water-borne viruses and could detect viruses that were previously undetectable. Dr. Reynolds is the principal investigator of two other projects, which look for contaminants in the water supply and in the home. In the water study, she aims to assess the risk of tap water by analyzing the types of disease-causing organisms captured in the filters of water vending machines. In the home hygiene study, she is monitoring the Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the home by identifying the bacteria's survival in soft surfaces, including carpets and towels. The MRSA bacteria could cause severe skin infections and result in hospitalizations.

Degrees

• PhD, Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona, 1995