Dr. Robert Newell is the Canada Research Chair (tier 2) in Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainability. Newell’s research focuses on integrated planning and policy, stakeholder engagement and sustainable community development.
He applies system thinking to identify relationships and tensions among critical sustainability imperatives, particularly climate change mitigation and adaptation and biodiversity conservation, and other sustainability objectives.
His research often employs community-based, participatory approaches for developing knowledge and tools for supporting planning and decision-making, such as systems maps, integrated models and visualizations. Newell also teaches courses on critical sustainability issues (i.e., climate change and biodiversity loss) and approaches to sustainable development.
Experience
Newell was the associate director of the Food and Agriculture Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley from 2020 to 2022, and he currently holds a Research Associate position with the Institute.
Newell was also a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow from 2017 to 2019, researching integrated models and visualizations as tools for community planning. Newell uses a variety of quantitative (e.g., decomposition analysis, regressions, factor analysis), qualitative (e.g., thematic coding), and spatial (e.g., GIS) methods.
Education
2021-22
Graduate Diploma in Planning
University of Waterloo
2017-19
Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship
Royal Roads University
2017
PhD in Geography
University of Victoria
2009
Master of Arts in Environment and Management
Royal Roads University
2005
Bachelor of Science in Biology and Statistics
University of Victoria
Publications
Glaros, A., & Newell, R. (2025). The state of local food systems and integrated planning and policy research: An application of the climate, biodiversity, health, and justice nexus. Agriculture, 15(7), 718. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15070718
Newell, R., Dring, C., King, L., & Hemphill, M. (2025). Food System Scenarios in Uncertain Futures: A Case Study on Long-Term Local Food System Planning in Revelstoke, Canada. Agriculture, 15(6), 611. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15060611
Dring, C. C., Lin, S., Newell, R., Dower, R., MacLachlan, E., James, D., & Robin, T. (2025). Possibilities for decolonizing food planning: Addressing ontological dominance, affective and relational dispositions, and (re)imagining just food futures. Possibility Studies & Society, 27538699251324727. https://doi.org/10.1177/27538699251324727
Issac, J., Newell, R., & Das, R. (2025). A systems thinking approach to examine local food systems planning through a climate-biodiversity-health lens: A Comox Valley case study. Environmental Science & Policy, 163, 103972. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2024.103972
Newell, R., Dring, C., & Willyono, E. (2024). Imagining just and sustainable food futures: Using interactive visualizations to explore the possible land uses and food systems approaches in Revelstoke, Canada. Land, 13(9), 1345. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13091345
Willyono, E., Bone, C., & Newell, R. (2024). Geovisualisation for effective management of invasive species: Bridging the knowing–doing gap. Parks, 30(1), 25-36. https://doi.org/10.2305/WICL5376
Ghadiri, M., & Newell R. (2024). Rethinking public transit networks using climate change mitigation and social justice lenses: Great Victoria Area case study. Sustainability, 16(6), 2414. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062414
Ghadiri, M, Newell, R, & Krawchenko, T. (2024). Participatory system mapping for food systems: Lessons learned from a case study of Comox Valley, Canada. Challenges, 5(2), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.3390/challe15020022
Ghadiri, M., Krawchenko, T., & Newell, R. (2024). Applying a climate-biodiversity-health framework to support integrated food systems planning and policy. Journal of Environmental Management, 358, 120769. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120769
Glaros, A., Newell, R., Benyam, A., Pizzirani, S., & Newman, L. L. (2024). Vertical agriculture’s potential implications for food system resilience: outcomes of focus groups in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia. Ecology and Society, 29(1). https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-14547-290112
Newell, R., & Glaros, A. (2024). Sustainable food systems, development paths, and scenarios for cellular agriculture. In E. D. G. Fraser, D. L. Kaplan, L. Newman, & R. Y. Yada (Eds.), Cellular Agriculture (pp. 29–45). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-18767-4.00022-6
Newell, R. (2023). The climate-biodiversity-health nexus: A framework for integrated community sustainability planning in the Anthropocene. Frontiers in Climate, 5, 1177025. https://doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2023.1177025
Glaros, A., Newell, R., Fraser, E., & Newman, L. (2023). Socio-economic futures for cellular agriculture: The development of a novel framework. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 7, 970369. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.970369
Newman, L., Newell, R., Dring, C., Glaros, A., Fraser, E., Mendly-Zambo, Z., Green, A. G., & KC, K. B. (2023). Agriculture for the Anthropocene: Novel applications of technology and the future of food. Food Security, 15, 613–627. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-023-01356-6
Newman, L., Fraser, E., Newell, R., Bowness, E., Newman, K., & Glaros, A. (2023). Cellular agriculture and the sustainable development goals. In C. Lopez-Correa & A. B. T.-G. and the G. B. Suarez-Gonzalez (Eds.), Translational and Applied Genomics (pp. 3–23). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-91601-1.00010-9
Newell, R., Dring, C., & Newman, L. (2023). Participatory research methods for examining lessons from COVID-19 about local food systems vulnerabilities to exogenous shocks. Collaborations: A Journal of Community-Based Research and Practice, 6(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.33596/coll.116
Newell, R., Dring, C., & Newman, L. (2022). Reflecting on COVID-19 for integrated perspectives on local and regional food systems vulnerabilities. Urban Governance, 2(2), 316-327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ugj.2022.09.004
Issac, J., Newell, R., Dring, C., White, C., Ghadiri, M., Pizzirani, S., & Newman, L. (2022). Integrated Sustainability Planning and Local Food Systems: Examining Areas of and Gaps in Food Systems Integration in Community Sustainability Plans for Municipalities across British Columbia. Sustainability, 14(11), 6724. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116724
Newell, R., Dale, A., & Lister, N.-M. (2022). An integrated climate-biodiversity framework to improve planning and policy: An application to wildlife crossings and landscape connectivity. Ecology and Society, 27(1), 23. https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol27/iss1/art23/
Newell, R., Newman, L., & Mendly-Zambo, Z. (2021). The role of incubators and accelerators in the fourth agricultural revolution: A case study of Canada. Agriculture, 11(11), 1066. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11111066
Green, A. G., Abdulai, A. R., Duncan, E., Glaros, A., Campbell, M., Newell, R., Quarshie, P., KC, K. B., Newman, L., Nost, E., & Fraser, E. D. (2021). A scoping review of the digital agricultural revolution and ecosystem services: Implications for Canadian policy and research agendas. FACETS, 6, 1955-1985. https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2021-0017
Glaros, A., Marquis, S., Major, C., Quarshie, P., Ashton, L., Green, A. G., KC, K. B., Newman, L., Newell, R., Yada, R., & Fraser, E. D. (2021). Horizon scanning and review of the impact of five food and food production models for the global food system in 2050. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 119, 550-564. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2021.11.013
Newman, L., Newell, R., Mendly-Zambo, Z., & Powell, L. (2021). Bioengineering, telecoupling, and alternative dairy: Agricultural land use futures in the Anthropocene. The Geographical Journal, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1111/geoj.12392
Jost, F., Newell, R., & Dale, A. (2021). CoLabS: A collaborative space for transdisciplinary work in sustainable community development. Heliyon, 7(2), e05997. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e05997
Newell, R., Newman, L., Dickson, M., Vanderkooi, B., Fernback, T., & White, C. (2021). Hydroponic fodder and greenhouse gas emissions: A potential avenue for climate mitigation strategy and policy development. FACETS, 6, 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2020-0066
Newell, R., McCarthy, N., Picketts, I., Davis, F., Hovem, G., & Navarrete, S. (2021). Communicating complexity: Interactive model explorers and immersive visualizations as tools for local planning and community engagement. FACETS, 6, 1-30. doi: 10.1139/facets-2020-0045
Goudine, A., Newell, R., & Bone, C. (2020). Seeing climate change: A framework for understanding visualizations for climate adaptation. International Journal of Geo-Information, 9(11), 644. doi: 10.3390/ijgi9110644
Jost, F., Dale, A., Newell, R., & Robinson, J. (2020). Evaluating development path changes using a novel climate action assessment framework in three municipalities in British Columbia, Canada. Environmental Science and Policy, 114, 410–421. doi: 10.1016/j.envsci.2020.09.007
Jost, F., Dale, A., Newell, R., & Robinson, J. (in review). Climate action assessment in three small municipalities in British Columbia : advancements vis-à-vis major neighboring cities. Current Research in Environmental Sustainability, 2, 100010. doi: 10.1016/j.crsust.2020.100010
Newell, R., & Dale, A. (2020). COVID-19 and climate change: An integrated perspective. Cities & Health. doi: 10.1080/23748834.2020.1778844
Newell, R., & Picketts, I.M. (2020). Spaces, places, and possibilities: A participatory approach for developing and using integrated models for community planning. City and Environment Interactions, 6, 100040. doi: 10.1016/j.cacint.2020.100040
Newell, R., Picketts, I.M., & Dale, A. (2020). Community systems models and development scenarios for integrated planning: Lessons learned from a participatory approach. Community Development. doi: 10.1080/15575330.2020.1772334
Dale, A., Robinson, J., King, L., Burch, S., Newell, R., Shaw, A., & Jost, F. (2019). Meeting the climate change challenge: Local government climate action in British Columbia, Canada. Climate Policy, 20(7) 866-880. doi: 10.1080/14693062.2019.1651244
Clifton-Ross, J., Dale, A., & Newell, R. (2019). Frameworks and models for disseminating curated research outcomes to the public. SAGE Open, 9(2), 2158244019840112. doi: 10.1177/2158244019840112
Newell, R., Dale, A., & Roseland, M. (2018). Climate action co-benefits and integrated community planning: Uncovering the synergies and trade-offs. The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses, 10(4), 1-23. doi:10.18848/1835-7156/CGP/v10i04/1-23.
Newell, R., & Robinson, J. (2018). Using decomposition methodology to gain a better understanding of progress in and challenges facing regional and local climate action. Journal of Cleaner Production, 197(1), 1423-1434. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.06.265
