Welcome to the page for the “Newman Lab,” whose research investigates various intersections between narrative, narrative theory, writing studies and scientific texts, models and diagrams. Our aim is to use our combined knowledge, methods and perspectives from various fields toward new and original insights into the nature, uses and limits of narrative.
One of the things that I missed when I moved from biology to literature was the community, both social and intellectual, provided by the unit we called “the lab.” Though I don’t actually have a lab, I am now striving to bring that aspect of lab culture to my work in literature, narrative and the culture of science. This page is an introduction to my team members and collaborators. For my own bio, please see my homepage.
RESEARCH ASSISTANTS: Current RAs in the Newman Team are conducting research on the project “A Narratology of Science,” funded by the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada. A talented group, they are providing essential help on, among other things, linguistic, computational, and statistical aspects of research seeking to establish and formalize some common ground between narrativity (the quality of being read as a story) and syntactic patterns associated with clarity in academic and technical prose. They are also helping me research the possibility of discordant narration in fake scientific articles, as well as helping me set up the upcoming project website, http://www.sciencenarrativity.com.
Dr. Thaïs Bernos (Post-Doc, Concordia University and Université de Laval):
I am passionate about understanding the diversity of life, meaning not only biological diversity (species, traits, genes…) but also associated cultural diversity (e.g. practices, stories, words…). In essence, how humans and nature have evolved in tangled ways over thousands of years. By understanding and documenting these relationships, I think we could safeguard an important part of our biocultural heritage for future generations! Before starting my current postdoctoral position at Concordia University and Laval University, I obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto and an M.Sc from Concordia University in conservation genetics. Feel free to read more about my research on my website!
Ellen Forget (PhD candidate, Faculty of Information Studies, University of Toronto)
Photo credit: Kaela Leone
Ellen Forget is a PhD candidate at University of Toronto in the Faculty of Information and the collaborative specialization of Book History and Print Culture. They are a graduate of the Master of Publishing and Editing Certificate programs at Simon Fraser University and work as a freelance editor. Ellen’s research interests include speculative fiction genres, digital publishing, and accessible book formats.
You can learn more about Ellen’s work here.
J Hughes (PhD candidate, Department of English, University of Toronto)
Tracy O’Brien (PhD candidate, Department of English, University of Toronto)
Tracy O’Brien is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of English at the University of Toronto where she is completing a collaborative specialization in Book History & Print Culture. She holds master’s degrees in Linguistics and English from Memorial University of Newfoundland & Labrador and is leveraging her multidisciplinary training to complete her dissertation, “A Corpus Study of Language Variation in Early Modern Women’s Writing,” in which she examines linguistic structures women writers used in their compositions between the mid-16th and late-17th centuries. This research is supported by a fellowship with the Critical Digital Humanities Initiative at University of Toronto. Tracy is founder and coordinator of U of T’s Early Modern Research and Reading Group and spends her summers writing theatre reviews. Her non-academic life involves a lot of family, music, dogs, plants, laughter, and Star Trek.
Emily Hand (Undergraduate, English & Theatre Studies, University of Toronto)
Emily Hand is a fourth-year undergraduate student at The University of Toronto, majoring in English Literature and Theatre Studies. She is interested in Canadian literature and ecocriticism, with particular focus on the relationship between Indigenous and settler depictions of the natural world throughout 20th and 21st century fiction. Through research and academic writing, Emily aims to mark shifts in how landscapes are described in literature alongside a changing climate and various political changes. She hopes her research will uplift Indigenous perspectives and centre Indigenous voices within scholarly discussions. Outside of academia, Emily enjoys working with textile arts and beadwork to explore creatively.
DANIEL AURELIANO NEWMAN 