His research investigates a variety of topics in urban sociology including spatial analyses of urban populations, suburbanization, and processes of residential mobility, especially as it relates to the perpetuation of neighborhood related inequalities. Howell's research interests also include: sociology of sport, race and ethnicity, the family, and immigration. He received a BS in Sociology from Kansas State University and a MA and PhD from the University of Cincinnati. Howell's work as appeared in Urban Affairs Review, Journal of Urban Affairs, and in the edited volume Undocumented Immigrants in the United States Today.