Sharlene Newman
American cognitive neuroscientist
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Through Language processing in the brain, Electrical engineering and Machine learning
Her research specialises in understanding brain function using neuroimaging methods such as magnetic resonance imaging. She was one of the first to apply these neuroimaging techniques to study language processing in the human brain, which helped identify which regions of the brain are involved in different linguistic functions. She has also worked on using neuroimaging to understand other aspects of brain function, such as executive function, mathematical and spatial processing, substance addiction, and psychopathology.
Early life and education
Newman was born in Abbeville, Alabama. She studied electrical engineering at Vanderbilt University, completing her bachelor's degree in 1993. She obtained a master's degree and Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1996 and 1999, respectively.
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Research and career
Newman began her postdoctoral research studying language processing using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at Carnegie Mellon University in 1999, where she was also an adjunct professor. Her work was among the first research efforts to study complex language function and processing in the human brain through neuroimaging methods. Her postdoctoral work examined which regions of the brain are involved with different functions in sentence comprehension and other linguistic processes. She also worked on applying machine learning methods to fMRI data to identify different cognitive functions from brain images.
In 2004, Newman joined the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University, where has been a Professor since 2017. She served as the associate Vice Provost for undergraduate education from 2016 to 2019, and was named the Herman B Wells Endowed Professor in 2018. At Indiana, she continued her research into complex language function, using functional magnetic resonance imaging to understand the brain functions involved in sentence comprehension, bilingual learning, and sign-language learning. Her research also studied mathematical and spatial ability in adults and children.
Newman was a founder of the Imaging Research Facility at Indiana University, and later became its director. Here, her work used neuroimaging techniques to understand how substances such as alcohol and cannabis affect brain function. Her research also looked at other aspects of brain health, such as schizophrenia, epilepsy, and concussions.
Newman became the executive director of the Alabama Life Research Institute at the University of Alabama in 2019, an interdisciplinary research institute focusing on healthcare research.