Jessica Varner

Jessica Varner is an Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania's Stuart Weitzman School of Design. She holds a PhD in the History of Art and Architecture from MIT and a Master’s in History. Her work bridges architectural, environmental, and chemical history, examining synthetic chemicals in construction materials and their socio-ecological impacts. Research focuses on corporate archives, regulatory frameworks, and the under-studied connections between chemicals (e.g., PCBs, PFAS) and the built environment.

Education:

• PhD in History of Art and Architecture, MIT
• Master’s in History

Research Interests: Explores how chemical industries leveraged construction materials (paints, plastics, adhesives) to bypass regulatory scrutiny, tracing origins to coal/oil/gas industries. Highlights opacity of ingredient disclosure in building products due to 19th-century patent laws. Advocates for environmental justice through historical analysis of toxics in landscapes.

Teaching: Teaches Landscape Histories and Landscape Writings, emphasizing slow observation of place (e.g., two-hour site studies in Philadelphia’s FDR Park, Woodlands Cemetery). Offers a seminar on Environmental Justice Histories in the Americas, linking transnational movements to indoor/outdoor spaces.

Labs/Teams: Engages with Penn’s Architectural Archives, Morris Arboretum, and Walter Lear collections. Collaborates with Philadelphia’s environmental advocacy networks through fieldwork and archival research.