William R. Newman

William R. Newman, born on March 13, 1955, is a distinguished American historian of science, currently serving as the Ruth N. Halls Professor in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at Indiana University. His scholarly contributions are deeply rooted in the history of science, with a particular emphasis on alchemy, the concept of 'chymistry' (an archaic term he advocates for reviving to better encompass early chemical practices), the art-nature debate, and various matter theories, notably atomism. Newman is also recognized for his role as the General Editor of the 'Chymistry of Isaac Newton' project, an initiative that provides digital editions of Newton's alchemical writings alongside multimedia replications of his experiments. Before this, he led the Catapult Center for Digital Humanities and Computational Analysis of Texts at Indiana University. His academic background includes a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a Ph.D. from Harvard University, where he studied under historian of medieval science John E. Murdoch. Newman has held positions at Stonehill College and Harvard University before joining Indiana University in 1996, where he has also served as department chair. His research has shed light on figures like George Starkey, an alchemist who tutored Robert Boyle and influenced Isaac Newton. Newman's prolific writing includes works such as 'Gehennical Fire,' 'Atoms and Alchemy,' and 'Promethean Ambitions.' He has received numerous accolades, including the J.R. Partington Prize, the Alexandre Koyré Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Pfizer Award from the History of Science Society. He also holds the HIST Award for Outstanding Achievement in the History of Chemistry from the American Chemical Society.