Robert (Bob) Newton, Ph.D.

Dr. Robert (Bob) Newton was a Senior Research Scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. Dr. Newton has a Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Columbia University. Before pursuing a PhD at Columbia, Dr. Newton held various management and planning positions in IT in the financial services industry.

Dr. Newton is an oceanographer specializing in Arctic climate and climate change. He studies the spatial distribution of ‘tracers’ (oxygen isotope ratios, noble gases and their isotopes, nutrients and 14C) as a way to visualize the imprint of atmosphere/ice/ocean interactions on the Arctic Ocean. With colleagues, he has also developed systems to track shifting patterns of sea ice formation, transport and melt. Using historical data and future simulations, Dr. Newton and colleagues contribute to planning efforts in Arctic ecology, conservation and sustainable development.

Before retiring, Bob was also the Director of the Secondary School Field Research Program, a summer research internship program engaging approximately 50 high school students, 15 undergraduates and 10 high school science teachers at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory each summer.