Dr. Kelly Jenks is an archaeologist whose research focuses on Hispanic colonization and settlement of the American Southwest and Southern Plains. She currently teaches historical archaeology, cultural resource management, and introductory classes in anthropology and archaeology.

Dr. Jenk's primary interest is in the material construction and evolution of social identities within contact zones. Much of her recent research has focused on group identities that formed during the Spanish colonial, Mexican, and early American periods in the Southwest.