Rochester Institute of Technology, College of Science, Integrated Sciences Academy
Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Program of Color Science/Munsell Color Science Laboratory
B.S./M.S., Imaging Science (née Photographic Science & Instrumentation), RIT, 1986
M.A./Ph.D., Vision Science (Human Sensation & Perception, Brain & Cognitive Science), UR, 1990
"What business have I in the woods, if I am thinking of something out of the woods?" ~H.D. Thoreau
"The biggest problem in the world could have been solved when it was small." ~Lao Tzu
"No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness." ~Aristotle
"Zen teaches nothing; it merely enables us to wake up and become aware. It does not teach, it points." ~D.T. Suzuki
"And I'm goin' to keep this speech very short, for I'm sayin' my farewell to the game. I've suffered enough with it." ~Peter McNaughton
"After fifty years of devotion to hitting things with sticks, I would rather avoid any sense of "losing it" by simply setting it aside and moving on to other interests." ~N. Peart, Far and Away
The Future of Colorimetry (Including Color Appearance): My final Ph.D. student, Saeedeh Abasi, defended her dissertation on the framework of a fundamental color appearance model that could replace existing CIE colorimetry from color matching functions through correlates of perceived lightness, brightness, saturation, colorfulness, chroma, and hue. You can find it summarized in chapter 7 of her 2026 dissertation. Alas, the world is probably not ready for a complete overhaul of the entire system ...
Ever wonder why RIT Orange can only be reproduced on HDR-WCG displays? Check out the specs.
Listen to Mark discuss color perception on NPR.
For my students, click here (PDF) to see how your academic lineage traces back to Helmholtz and others.
I am now retired, but as Distinguished Professor in the Program of Color Science and Munsell Color Science Laboratory, I participated in the teaching and research activities described below. This domain is no longer being updated as of June, 2026 and will likely disappear when my server subscription expires in a few years.
Color Perception: Our research on topics in color perception addressed several inter-related areas such as chromatic adaptation, observer metamerism, color-appearance scales, color-appearance modeling,and high-dynamic-range (HDR)imaging. One focus of this research has been the ongoing development and psychophysical testing of color and image appearance models for both a fundamental understanding of perception and for a variety of applications such as image/video quality and HDR rendering. Our work on fundamental aspects of color science was aimed at building a better understanding of individual differences in color perception. More recent interests also include the colorimetric measurement, and sensory, evaluation of wine, especially from our wonderful Finger Lakes AVA of New York state.
Pet projects include the Color Curiosity Shop, the 3rd edition of Color Appearance Models, and helping with the Handbook of Color Psychology; please check them out. I recently published a book about the colors of leaves through a season and their relation to the Munsell system and the works of Henry David Thoreau. It was published by RIT Press in 2024 and is titled Munsell Trees: A Season of Leaves and Colors You can also download a PDF of my CV if you find yourself that intrigued.
Classroom Teaching & Learning: I recently taught Modeling Visual Perception. Modeling Visual Perception that covered the basic phenomena, theory, and modeling of color and visual appearance (i.e., things that basic colorimetry cannot predict) and is also an advanced required course in the Color Science graduate programs.
"What a long, strange, trip it's been."
Good-Bye by Ralph Waldo Emerson
"They made me a nice retirement cake..."
Contact:
- Office: I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately ...
- Email: mark.fairchild@rit.edu
- Mail: Use Email ... but there's no internet in the woods!
On the instant of waking
Another world of dreams appears - N. Peart
Ye're makin' a great mistake if ye think the gemme is meant for the shots.
The gemme is meant for walkin'.
For if ye can enjoy the walkin' ye can probably enjoy the other times in yer life when ye're in between.
And that's most o' the time; wouldn't ye say? - S. Irons
There is No Ultraviolet, or Infrared, Light;
The Technical Definition of Light...
17-21-013 light
radiation within the spectral range of visible radiation
Note 1 to entry: Sometimes, the term "light" is also used in physics as a synonym of optical radiation, covering the spectral range from 100 nm to 1 mm and sometimes even covering the X-ray spectral range. This misuse of the term "light" should be avoided.
