Michael Murdoch
Head of the Integrated Sciences Academy
Integrated Sciences Academy
College of Science
585-475-7189
Office Location
Office Mailing Address
54 Lomb Memorial Drive, Munsell Color Science Laboratory, Rochester, Ny 14623
Michael Murdoch
Head of the Integrated Sciences Academy
Integrated Sciences Academy
College of Science
Education
BS, Cornell University; MS, Rochester Institute of Technology; Ph.D., Eindhoven University of Technology
Bio
Michael studies the human visual perception of color, light, and materials in real and virtual spaces. He teaches graduate level courses in Color Science. He previously worked for Philips Research in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, and for Kodak Research Labs in Rochester, NY, USA, studying color and perception with applications in LED lighting, computer graphics, LCD, and OLED displays, inkjet printing, and motion picture film.
Select Scholarship
Published Conference Proceedings
Murdoch, Michael J. "From Polaroid to augmented reality: The enduring advantages of white borders." Proceedings of the Electronic Imaging: Human Vision in Electronic Imaging. Ed. Mantiuk. Burlingame, CA: Society for Imaging Science and Technology, 2025. Web.
Murdoch, Michael J. "Keynote: Transparency and Scission in Augmented Reality." Proceedings of the Electronic Imaging: Human Vision in Electronic Imaging. Ed. Mantiuk. Burlingame, CA: Society for Imaging Science and Technology, 2025. Web.
Canham, Trevor D., et al. "Gamma Maps: Non-linear Gain Maps for HDR Reconstruction." Proceedings of the London Imaging Meeting 2024. Ed. IS&T. London, UK: Society for Imaging Science and Technology, 2024. Web.
Journal Paper
Herbeck, Sofie R., Michael J. Murdoch, and Christopher A. Thorstenson. "Adjusting Transparency Toward Optimizing Face Appearance in Optical See-Through Augmented Reality." Journal of Perceptual Imaging 7. (2024): 1-12. Web.
Royer, Michael, et al. "Improved Method for Evaluating and Specifying the Chromaticity of Light Sources." LEUKOS. (2022): 1-18. Web.
Yuan, Yue, Michael J Murdoch, and Mark D. Fairchild. "A multiprimary lighting system for customized color stimuli." Color Research and Application 47. 1 (2022): 74-91. Web.
Book Chapter
Murdoch, Michael J. "Colour in AR and VR." Fundamentals and Applications of Colour Engineering. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, 2023. 335-354. Print.
Peer Reviewed/Juried Poster Presentation or Conference Paper
Li, Zilong and Michael J Murdoch. "Improving Naturalness in Transparent Augmented Reality with Image Gamma and Black Level." Proceedings of the 30th Color and Imaging Conference,. Ed. Jérémie Gerhardt and Anya Hurlbert. Scottsdale, AZ: Society for Imaging Science and Technology.
Zhang, Lili and Michael J Murdoch. "Perceived Transparency in Optical See-Through Augmented Reality." Proceedings of the 2021 IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality Adjunct (ISMAR-Adjunct). Ed. na. Bari, Italy: IEEE.
Zhang, Lili and Michael J Murdoch. "How Bright Should It Be: Diffuse White in Optical See-Through Augmented Reality." Proceedings of the Frameless XR Symposium. Ed. Susan Lakin. Rochester, NY: Frameless Labs.
Invited Keynote/Presentation
Murdoch, Michael J. "Color in Layers: From Pepper’s Ghost to Augmented Reality." AIC 2022 Sensing Color. AIC. Toronto, Canada. 15 Jun. 2022. Keynote Speech.
Murdoch, Michael J. "Color from Real Reality to Extended Reality." 3rd International Symposium for Color Science and Art. Tokyo Polytechnic University. Tokyo, Japan. 12 Mar. 2022. Keynote Speech.
Rhyne, Theresa-Marie, et al. "SIGGRAPH 2018 Panel: Color Mavens Advise on Digital Media Creation and Tools." SIGGRAPH 2018. ACM SIGGRAPH. Vancouver, BC. 11 Aug. 2018. Lecture.
Invited Article/Publication
Murdoch, Michael J. "Dynamic Color Control in Multiprimary Tunable LED Lighting Systems." SID 2019 Digest of Technical Papers. (2019). Web.
Currently Teaching
CLRS-601
Principles of Color Science
3 Credits
This course covers the principles of color science including theory, application, and hands-on experience incorporated into the lectures. Topics include color appearance (hue, lightness, brightness, chroma, saturation, colorfulness), colorimetry (spectral, XYZ, xyY, L*a*b*, L*C*abhab, ∆E*ab, ∆E00), the use of linear algebra in color science and color imaging, metamerism, chromatic adaptation, color inconstancy, color rendering, color appearance models (CIECAM02), and image appearance models (S-CIELAB, iCAM).
CLRS-790
Research & Thesis
1 - 6 Credits
Masters-level research by the candidate on an appropriate topic as arranged between the candidate and the research advisor.
CLRS-799
Color Science Independent Study
1 - 4 Credits
CLRS-890
Research & Thesis
1 - 6 Credits
Masters-level research by the candidate on an appropriate topic as arranged between the candidate and the research advisor.
In the News
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March 10, 2023
![three researchers lining up color samples on a machine with a camera.]()
Color science program partners with Norwegian University of Science and Technology
RIT’s color science program is partnering with counterparts from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology to provide faculty and students new foreign exchange learning opportunities. The Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills awarded a 3 million Norwegian Krone (roughly $300,000) UTFORSK grant to fund travel opportunities for graduate students and faculty involved with both programs.
