Research

My research connects color science to professional practice across four parallel lines.

Color experience and cultural variation

The Color Experience System (CES) is a layered decision architecture connecting physical color attributes, perceptual dimensions, semantic associations, and cultural variation. Six cultural clusters (EUW, APA, AFR, LAM, NAM, MNA) describe systematic differences in color preference, semantics, and use. The work is presented at AIC 2026 (Florence) and developed further as a methodological framework for culturally adaptive color decisions.

Professional color competency assessment

A framework for measuring whether a color professional is actually competent — distinct from color-vision screening. A three-by-three matrix (discrimination, attribution, communication × hue, lightness, chroma) defines nine competency cells; ten instruments operationalize them. Scoring combines Signal Detection Theory with Bayesian estimation; stimuli are generated in OKLCH and cross-referenced through CIEDE2000. A three-paper series is under review at Color Research and Application.

Modular normlight systems and spectral reconstruction

A modular normlight architecture in which target illuminants are synthesized from independently controllable spectral channels (310–940 nm), with sensor-based verification and boundary-driven recalibration. The architecture supports fleet harmonization across distributed installations — single spectral reference, autonomous units. Foundational whitepaper published as prior art in January 2026.

Applied color in professional practice

Translating color science into decisions in healthcare environments, industry (coatings, automotive, textile, food), and design. This line connects the more theoretical research to teachable and applicable methods — the bridge between measurement and choice.

Current empirical work

Empirical Mapping of the Semantic Color Space — LCh* boundaries of sensory-semantic concepts and their cross-cultural stability. This project executes the four directions for further research identified in the AIC 2026 paper: bringing derived concepts to direct measurement, expanding the set of semantic concepts, strengthening the cultural layer for the NAM and MNA clusters, and moving from preference/connotation to empirically measured shifts.

The study uses adaptive threshold detection in three-dimensional LCh* space, with bipolar concept pairs as the primary objects of measurement. Six cultural clusters (EUW, APA, NAM, LAM, MNA, AFR), pilot through cross-cultural rollout in five phases over 24 months. Output: measured LCh* boundaries per concept with confidence intervals, conceptual equivalence map across cultures, empirical test of Steiner’s sensory domains in color space. Direct input for the CES Atlas and the CXP platform.

A dedicated research instrument for adaptive threshold detection in LCh* is under development to support this work.