Dr. Sam Collings Wells

Biography

Sam Collings-Wells is a Junior Research Fellow at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge, specializing in American History. His current research focuses on the dynamics of police reform in the United States during the twentieth century, particularly through his book project titled 'Law and Order: American Police Reform in the 1960s', which is under contract with Columbia University Press. This work examines a new network of researchers and think tanks that aimed to develop a 'science of policing' in the 1960s, as part of a broader effort to redefine 'law and order' politics in the late twentieth century. Additionally, he is developing a project that investigates the historical implications of focus and attention spans in the United States. Sam holds a Double Starred First in his undergraduate studies and an MPhil with Distinction from the University of Cambridge, where his dissertation explored the influence of Hollywood Westerns on the foreign policy rhetoric of John F. Kennedy, earning him the Sarah Norton Prize for his essay in American political history. He is also researching the transformational role of the Ford Foundation in addressing urban crises from 1970 to 1990 under the supervision of Professor Andrew Preston, highlighting the impact of liberal philanthropy on policing and criminal justice reform in U.S. cities.

Research Interests

Experience