People
E. Christian Wells
Professor and Director: Center for Brownfields Research & Redevelopment
CONTACT
Office: SOC 385
Phone: (813) 974-2337
Email
EDUCATION
- Ph.D., Anthropology, Arizona State University
- M.A., Anthropology, Arizona State University
- B.A., Anthropology, Archaeological Studies, and Latin American Studies, Oberlin College
TEACHING
Cultural Anthropology, Applied Anthropology, Environmental Justice, Research Design & Proposal Writing, Research Methods, Quantitative Methods, Advanced Quantitative Methods
RESEARCH
Dr. Wells is an applied environmental anthropologist with an interdisciplinary background in the social and natural sciences. He works closely with environmental engineers, public health practitioners, and community residents to improve human and environmental health outcomes of re/development efforts in underserved communities. His current research emphasizes environmental pollution, brownfields challenges, land use legacies, water and wastewater management, and science-policy interactions.
Over the past 25 years, Dr. Wells has undertaken research throughout the United States, Central America, and the Caribbean with over $25 million in funding from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and other organizations. He has published more than 150 scientific articles and essays with colleagues in many fields and his research has been featured by various media outlets including The New York Times and New Scientist.
Dr. Wells is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Past-President of the Florida Brownfields Association, the state鈥檚 largest nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to brownfields redevelopment. He is the recipient of the 2025
Comitas Award for Public Knowledge and Engagement from the Society for Applied Anthropology and the 2023 Wesley W. Horner Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Recent Articles
- Wells, E. C. and S. Combs. 2026. Practicing Anthropology 48.
- Henderson, M., A. Vidmar, M. Trotz, D. Cobb-Roberts, and E. C. Wells. 2025. Education Sciences 15(12):1599.
- McAlister, M. M., P. S. Murali, Q. Zhang, E. C. Wells, and S. Mohebbi. 2024. . International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 115:105079.
- Webb, A. W., E. C. Wells, C. Prouty, R. K. Zarger, and M. A. Trotz. 2024. Annals of Anthropological Practice 48(1):130-145.
- Caballero, G. W., E. C. Wells, S. A. Echols, and E. H. Peaslee. 2024. Local Environment 29(6):722-735.
- Vidmar, A. M., E. C. Wells, M. Zheng, N. Award, S. Combs, and D. Diaz. 2023. Human Organization 82(4):342-353.
- Wells, E. C., A. M. Vidmar, W. A. Webb, A. C. Ferguson, M. E. Verbyla, F. de los Reyes III, Q. Zhang, and J. M. Mihelcic. 2022. . Environmental Science & Technology 56(16):11180-11188.
- Abdel-Mottaleb, N., P. G. Saghand, M. J. Wakhungu, H. Charkhgard, E. C. Wells, and Q. Zhang. 2022. . Water 14(21):3587.
- Wakhungu, M., N. Abdel-Mottaleb, E. C. Wells, and Q. Zhang. 2021. . Journal of Environmental Engineering 147(9):04021034.
- Alexander, W. L., E. C. Wells, M. Lincoln, B. Y. Davis, and P. Little. 2021. . Human Organization 80(1):37-48.
- Lehigh, G. R., E. C. Wells, and D. Diaz. 2020. . Journal of Environmental Management 261(1):110150.
- Libby, J. A., E. C. Wells, and J. R. Mihelcic. 2020. . Environmental Science & Technology 54(23):15405鈥15413.
- Meehan, K., W. Jepson, L. Harris, A. Wutich, M. Beresford, A. Fencl, J. London, G. Pierce, L. Radonic, E. C. Wells, N. Wilson, E. Adams, R. Arsenault, A. Brewis, V. Harrington, Y. Lambrinidou, D. McGregor, R. Patrick, B. Pauli, A. Pearson, S. Shah, D. Splichalova, C. Workman, and S. Young. 2020. . WIREs Water 7(6):e1486.
- Mohebbi, S., Q. Zhang, E. C. Wells, T. Zhao, H. Nguyen, M. Li, N. Abdel-Mottaleb, S. Uddin, Q. Lu, M. J. Wakhungu, Z. Wu, Y. Zhang, A. Tuladhar, and X. Ou. 2020. . Sustainable Cities and Society 62:102327.
- Wells, E. C., W. A. Webb, C. M. Prouty, R. K. Zarger, M. A. Trotz, L. M. Whiteford, and J. R. Mihelcic. 2019. . Economic Anthropology 6(2):277-290.
- Prouty, C., E. S. Koenig, E. C. Wells, R. K. Zarger, and Q. Zhang. 2017. . Sustainable Cities and Society 29:130-138.
- Mihelcic, J. R., C. C. Naughton, M. E. Verbyla, Q. Zhang, R. W. Schweitzer, S. M. Oakley, E. C. Wells, and L. M. Whiteford. 2017. . Environmental Engineering Science 34(1):16-41.
- Wells, E. C., R. K. Zarger, L. M. Whiteford, J. R. Mihelcic, E. S. Koenig, and M. R. Cairns. 2016. . Journal of Cleaner Production 111:430-441.
Recent Grants
- Combs, S., and E. C. Wells. 2025-2028. Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; $14,944,031.
- Jones, D., and E. C. Wells. 2023-2027. Brownfields Job Training Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; $500,000.
- Ergas, S., E. C. Wells, J. Mihelcic, M. Arias, Q. Zhang, M. Nachabe, and M. Lusk. 2023-2026. Gulf of Mexico Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; $1,499,759.
- Bolden, D., K. Owusu-Daaku, and E. C. Wells. 2023-2025. Interdisciplinary Research Leaders, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; $125,000.
- Trotz, M. A., E. C. Wells, K. A. Alfredo, R. Sears, and M. E. Carrasquillo. 2022-2026. 鈥.鈥 Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE), National Science Foundation; $2,000,000.
- Wells, E. C., L. Ward, and W. Washington. 2022-2026. 鈥.鈥 Community-wide Brownfield Assessment Grant Program (CBAG), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; $500,000.
- Jones, D., and E. C. Wells. 2020-2022. 鈥.鈥 Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training (EWDJT) Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; $200,000.
- Wells, E. C. 2017-2019. "." Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Grant Program (BAWPG), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; $200,000.
- Zhang, Q., E. C. Wells, S. Mohebbi, X. Ou, and Q. Lu. 2016-2018. "." Critical Resilient Interdependent Infrastructure Systems and Processes (CRIISP), National Science Foundation; $1,963,542.
- Mihelcic, J. R., E. C. Wells, M. Trotz, and C. McKayle. 2013-2017. "." Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE), National Science Foundation; $3,920,644.
Graduate Students
Andrew Monast, Abby Vidmar, Emily Walsh