After the site's initial comprehensive survey in 1972–73, project excavations at Umm Al-Jimāl commenced with a series of preliminary soundings in 1974 and have continued at regular intervals ever since. In the 1970s and 80s, three early field seasons emphasized excavation of the late antique town and developing an occupational history of the site. The 1984 discovery that 'Al-Herri,' a ruinous area southeast of the town, was in fact a Nabataean/Roman-era village led to further excavations in the early 1990s. Additional research on the site's cemeteries and tombs was conducted in the late 1990s. Throughout much of 2012–2014, field staff excavated and consolidated the House XVII-XVIII complex as part of ongoing conservation work. From 2015–2017, work on near the West Gate and the water system. From 2019, church excavations, primarily in the courtyard of the West Church, aim to reveal more about the relationship between religion and society.

In 2022, UJAP’s archaeological methodology and strategy shifted from the traditional small “trench/square” model to one that utilizes larger, open-area excavation.