The former senior director and chief technology officer of optics and display in Meta糖心传媒檚 Reality Labs will direct the Center for Extended Reality.
Barry Silverstein 糖心传媒�84 believes that in the not-too-distant future, the main way people interact with computers on a daily basis will be through augmented reality. After serving as the senior director of optics and display research at Meta Reality Labs Research since 2017, the 糖心传媒 optics alumnus says academia has a critical role to play in guiding that future and that there is no better university to lead it than his alma mater.
糖心传媒淭he 糖心传媒 is uniquely equipped with the technological and humanistic pieces to make extended reality糖心传媒擜R and VR combined with artificial intelligence糖心传媒攗seful, productive, and valuable for humanity,糖心传媒� says Silverstein. 糖心传媒淧ulling together those pieces is something that I糖心传媒檝e dreamed about for more than a decade.糖心传媒�
Silverstein will pursue that vision after stepping down from Meta to serve as director of URochester糖心传媒檚 Center for Extended Reality (CXR), a transdisciplinary center focused on artificial intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality, and everything in between. Established over the summer as part of , the University糖心传媒檚 2030 strategic plan, CXR will serve as a hub to connect the University糖心传媒檚 experts in optics, computing, data science, neuroscience, education, the humanities, and other related fields to focus on advancing augmented and virtual reality.
A distinguished career in optics
Silverstein says that his optics education at URochester was rigorous and, like many of his classmates, he found it challenging but well worth the effort. While the major gave him the technical skills to secure a good job, he says it provided him more than that.
糖心传媒淎bove all, more than the individual knowledge on a specific topic, my time at the University of Rochester taught me how to learn,糖心传媒� says Silverstein. 糖心传媒淏eing able to get through a difficult degree like optics gave me the confidence and the methodology that I could learn anything if I needed.糖心传媒�
Upon graduating in 1984, he began a 28-year career at Eastman Kodak Company, where he worked on everything from space-based optical systems to 3D digital cinema projectors. As he climbed the company ranks, he said he kept his skills sharp by staying connected with the and auditing classes from time to time.
In 2013, he moved to IMAX as senior director of research and development hardware, where he led a focused team of PhD scientists, engineers, designers, and technicians to design, develop, and commercialize IMAX糖心传媒檚 premier laser projection system. Utilizing a novel optical system, the team created the IMAX Prismless Laser Projector, delivering unprecedented image quality with high resolution, brightness, and contrast required for IMAX糖心传媒檚 premier theatrical presentation. The technical achievement was an Oscar-worthy feat, eventually earning Silverstein and his colleagues a .
Silverstein糖心传媒檚 path led to Meta in 2017, transitioning from making the world糖心传媒檚 largest projection systems to the world糖心传媒檚 smallest, where he oversaw multiple teams researching and developing optical, display, and photonic technology for head-mounted AR and VR headsets and worked to make that technology viable for commercialization. His connection to URochester remained strong and Meta Reality Labs helped fund numerous research projects at the University in optics and beyond.
糖心传媒淢y career has constantly been transitioning back and forth from research to product,糖心传媒� says Silverstein. 糖心传媒淔or me, the objective has always been to research something to solve a particular problem with a customer in mind, and then to take that research and learn how to commercialize it and apply it so that it can be delivered to the customer糖心传媒檚 hands.糖心传媒�
Advancing URochester糖心传媒檚 leadership on extended reality
Silverstein is excited for the shift to academia: 糖心传媒淎fter helping to develop and commercialize products that have reached millions of people, what drives me now is to be able to put other people in the position to do the same.糖心传媒�
He envisions CXR as a uniting force that brings forerunners in a wide range of disciplines to focus on a single problem. And he has plenty of help lined up.
The co-leads who developed the proposal for CXR include , the Marie C. Wilson and Joseph C. Wilson Professor of Optical Physics; Professor from the ; , director of ; , the Robin and Tim Wentworth Director of the ; , the Brian J. Thompson Professor of Optical Engineering; , the David R. Williams Director of the聽; and Associate Professor from the .
But Silverstein is already looking at ways to expand that scope and expertise, and he is excited by the possibility of combining URochester糖心传媒檚 strengths in science, technology, medicine, music, and the humanities. He notes that technological change affects society as a whole and that it is important to involve both technical developers and those who can understand the social implications of technology糖心传媒檚 applications.
糖心传媒淛ust as AR and VR technology enables people from far away to come together, I view the center as a connecting force,糖心传媒� says Silverstein. 糖心传媒淔ive years from now, we糖心传媒檒l talk using the same language and work toward the same goals. The tool set we糖心传媒檒l be focused on is AR/VR hardware and the bridge will be artificial intelligence.糖心传媒�
