Newman’s research focuses on the role of strategic communication within the context of science, technology, and the environment. This includes recent work examining the role of communication training in supporting scientists’ communication and engagement goals, including developing innovative methods for evaluation. He has worked on a number of collaborative projects within this context funded by the National Science Foundation, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and The Kavli Foundation. Newman is the editor of Theory and Best Practices in Science Communication Training (Routledge, 2019), which covers the growing body of research in this emerging field.

Newman is also interested in integrating frameworks from marketing and branding with the science of science communication to develop new insights into how the scientific community connects to a changing society. This includes how the U.S. public and scientists think about the brand of science, and the way in which the scientific community can strategically think about these meanings, specifically within the context of climate and energy issues. His recent work examines the implications of science being used as a brand by political actors, and he is also the co-author of Brand (Kendall-Hunt, 2018), which examines the role of brand strategy across various markets and industries.