The University of Maryland welcomes Dr. Jeremy Wells, who will join the Historic Preservation Program this fall as an assistant professor. Jeremy was most recently an assistant professor in the Historic Preservation Program at Roger Williams University, where he specialized in historic preservation/cultural heritage planning and policy. His prior professional experience includes serving as the Principal Preservation Planner for the City of Denver, and working as a Main Street (downtown revitalization) manager and an architectural materials conservator.
Wells’ research centers on the concept of “place conservation,” examining how people value, perceive and use historic and natural places, particularly how heritage empowers or disempowers marginalized, minority populations. His research and teaching promotes the stewardship of historic environments to promote social justice, sustainability and quality of life. His research endeavors have spanned Latino communities in the Northeast, Puerto Rico and Brazil, where he participated in community-based research on a Fulbright scholarship in 2015. Wells is widely-published and is the creator of the Environmental Design Research Association’s Historic Environment Knowledge Network, a powerful tool for researchers and practitioners.
“We are thrilled to add Dr. Wells to our program’s faculty,” said Historic Preservation Program Director Dr. Donald Linebaugh. “He brings a unique and important mix of experience and skills and a cutting-edge research focus that, together, fit perfectly with the program’s new strategic plan goals to enhance our ongoing work in community engagement, social justice and urban preservation.”
Wells has a Ph.D. in Environmental Design and Planning from Clemson University, an M.S. in Historic Preservation and an Advanced Certificate in Architectural Materials Conservation from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in Historic Preservation from Southeast Missouri State University.