Newman's competencies are in marine and estuarine chemistry (water and sediment quality) and ecotoxicology. He has a PhD in Zoology from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (formerly the University of Port Elizabeth).

Newman’s research interests lie in the definition of baseline concentrations for metals in sediment in southern African coastal waters; assessing water and sediment quality in ports, estuaries and near wastewater discharges by measuring contaminant concentrations (e.g. metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls), estimating and directly measuring (through toxicity testing) the biological implications of contaminated water and sediment; the bioaccumulation of various contaminants (e.g. mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls) by marine molluscs and fish and identifying associated health risks for human consumers; developing estuarine and marine toxicity testing procedures; and investigating the influence of various contaminants on the ecophysiology of invertebrates, with a particular focus on osmoregulatory impairment in crustacea.

Expertise: Ecotoxicology; Marine and estuarine chemistry