Kyle Newton

Kyle was born in the Philippines but grew up in Seattle where he learned to appreciate the value of a drysuit during his scuba certification. He received a BS in Marine Science and biology from the University of Miami then worked for a biotech start up in Seattle. Eventually he moved to Los Angeles and got his MS in biology from California State University Fullerton where he showed that visceral endothermy gives the endothermic mako shark a selective advantage in food processing rates compared to sympatric ectothermic sharks. He went on to receive his PhD in Integrative Biology from Florida Atlantic University where he described the magnetic sense, learning and memory capabilities of the yellow stingray. Recently, he finished a postdoctoral research appointment at Washington University in St Louis, where he used machine learning to model how the lateral line facilitates the rheotaxis behavior of zebrafish as they orient and swim into flowing water. Kyle began a research associate position in the Big Fish Lab at OSU in 2022 and is currently investigating how anthropogenic EMFs impact the behavior, movement, and distribution of electromagnetically sensitive marine fauna.

Kyle enjoys field work such as tagging pelagic and coastal sharks off the coasts of Florida and California, animal husbandry, and wondering how marine life perceives its environment and uses this information to make decisions. When he is not in the lab, Kyle enjoys scuba diving, road trips, and deep conversations with his cat, Walter.