RIT’s College of Science Names Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education

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ETC Photo

Mark Fairchild

Mark Fairchild was appointed associate dean for research and graduate education in Rochester Institute of Technology’s College of Science. He will work closely with the dean and the heads of the college’s academic units to oversee, advocate and promote the graduate programs, research programs and initiatives, research labs and research centers.

Fairchild has been a faculty member in the Munsell Color Science Laboratory of the Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science since 1986. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in imaging science from RIT and his doctorate in vision science from the University of Rochester.

Prior to his recent appointment, Fairchild had served as director of the Munsell Color Science Laboratory for 12 years and, most recently, as the doctorate program coordinator for the color science program in the Center for Imaging Science. He has supervised the graduate research of more than 50 master’s and doctoral students.

Fairchild is author or co-author of more than 225 technical publications in color and imaging sciences and of the book Color Appearance Models, second edition, which serves as a reference to the fundamentals of color appearance and the formulation of specific models. He also has been actively involved in externally sponsored research at RIT for more than 25 years, working with both corporate and government sponsors.

His current research interests include studies of color perception and system performance for high-dynamic-range, wide-color-gamut and spectral image displays along with the development of a color-based website for general science education and outreach.

He served as color imaging editor for the Society for Imaging Science and Technology IS&T’s Journal of Imaging Science and Technology for three years and was named a Fellow of IS&T in 2003 for his contributions to digital color imaging. He was presented with the 1995 Bartleson Award by the Colour Group in Great Britain and the 2002 Macbeth Award by the Inter-Society Color Council for his research work in color appearance and other areas of color science.

In 2007, Fairchild was presented with the Davies Medal by the Royal Photographic Society for his contributions to photography in the digital field of imaging science. He also received the 2008 IS&T Raymond C. Bowman award for excellence in imaging education.