Jonathan Newman

Jonathan Newman became Laurier’s vice-president: research on Aug. 1, 2019. In his role, he is responsible for strategic research leadership, oversight of research and innovation at Laurier, strategic internationalization efforts and enhancement of research linkages with government and industrial partners.

Newman is also a professor in Laurier’s Department of Biology, where he is an active researcher in the fields of grassland ecology, climate change biology, invasive species ecology, entomological ecology, plant-fungal interactions, mathematical modelling and environmental ethics.

Prior to coming to Laurier, Newman was a professor and dean of the College of Biological Science at the University of Guelph. He was founding director of the School of Environmental Sciences and formerly served as chair of the Department of Environmental Biology and interim director of the University Arboretum, also at the University of Guelph.

Newman holds a PhD in Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour from the University at Albany, State University of New York, as well as a BA in Biology with a minor in English from the same university. He also holds a graduate diploma in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education and an honorary Master of Arts, both from the University of Oxford, where he served as a lecturer and tutorial fellow from 1999 to 2004. He was also an assistant professor in the Department of Zoology at Southern Illinois University from 1994 to 1999.

Newman has been recognized with a long list of awards and honours, including having been named a fellow of the UK-based Royal Entomological Society and of the Royal Society of Biology. He is currently a member of the Ontario Council on University Research of the Council of Ontario Universities as well as member of the board of directors for the Accelerator Centre in Waterloo, Southern Ontario Water Consortium, Art Gallery of Guelph and the G. Magnotta Foundation for Vector-Borne Diseases.