Randall Wells began working with dolphins as a high school volunteer at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida in 1970. He has a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 1986, for work on "Structural Aspects of Dolphin Societies." He is presently a Conservation Biologist with the Chicago Zoological Society in Brookfield, Illinois. In this capacity, Wells coordinates the Marine Mammal Program for Mote Marine Laboratory.

Additionally, he is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Ocean Sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Much of his current research examines the behavior, ecology, health, and population biology of bottlenose dolphins along the central west coast of Florida. One focus of this study is a continuation of work with at least four generations of a locally resident 100-member dolphin community, initiated by Wells and colleagues in 1970.

Current efforts concentrate on the effects of human activities on coastal dolphins, including boat traffic, fishing activities and environmental contaminants. Other research has included studies of the behavior of Hawaiian spinner dolphins, blue, gray, and humpback whales, and of the effects of offshore industrial activities on bowhead whales, and the effects of environmental contaminants and boat traffic on coastal dolphins. Wells has authored or co-authored more than 46 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, 32 technical reports, and nine popular or semi-popular pieces.