LEDs & SSL Design

LEDs Magazine 40 Under 40 Profile: Charles Jarboe

July 24, 2020

Honoree Charles Jarboe came full circle to the Lighting Research Center, applying his fine arts and design sensibility to research projects with a holistic approach to the human experience of lighting.

Carrie Meadows,

Maury Wright

CHARLES JARBOE. (Photo credit: Image courtesy of the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.)

Charles Jarboe found his career in lighting by way of the performing arts, with a bachelor’s degree from Goucher College, and worked as a theatrical lighting designer and technician in New York City. Jarboe followed this with an MS in lighting from the Lighting Research Center (LRC), where he worked for a year post-graduation and contributed to lighting research and design projects “while demonstrating excellent project and customer management,” noted the nominator.

At New York design firm Cline, Bettridge, Bernstein Lighting Design Inc., he worked on award-winning design projects such as the Emerson College Student Dining Center and the Yale University Manuscripts and Archives Renovation. He has been back at the LRC for more than two years as a research scientist.

His background in fine arts, lighting research, and lighting design brings a unique, holistic perspective to projects, especially with regard to the effects of light on human health and wellbeing. He handles complex projects from planning to execution and mentors junior staff and students.

Jarboe has worked closely with Dr. Mariana Figueiro, former director of the LRC, on designing and developing lighting apparatus used in lab studies that investigate the spectral sensitivity of the circadian system and spatial sensitivity of the retina to circadian stimulation, as well as light devices for field studies evaluating the effect of blue and red light on sleep quality, mood, alertness, and performance in Air Force officers. He has also written articles for the Illuminating Engineering Society’s LD+A magazine and presented research and design results at multiple industry venues.

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About the Author

Carrie Meadows | Editor-in-Chief, LEDs Magazine

Carrie Meadows has more than 20 years of experience in the publishing and media industry. She worked with the PennWell Technology Group for more than 17 years, having been part of the editorial staff at Solid State Technology, Microlithography World, Lightwave, Portable Design, CleanRooms, Laser Focus World, and Vision Systems Design before the group was acquired by current parent company Endeavor Business Media.

Meadows has received finalist recognition for LEDs Magazine in the FOLIO Eddie Awards, and has volunteered as a judge on several B2B editorial awards committees. She received a BA in English literature from Saint Anselm College, and earned thesis honors in the college's Geisel Library. Without the patience to sit down and write a book of her own, she has gladly undertaken the role of editor for the writings of friends and family.

Meadows enjoys living in the beautiful but sometimes unpredictable four seasons of the New England region, volunteering with an animal shelter, reading (of course), and walking with friends and extended "dog family" in her spare time.

About the Author

Maury Wright | Editor in Chief

Maury Wright is an electronics engineer turned technology journalist, who has focused specifically on the LED & Lighting industry for the past decade. Wright first wrote for LEDs Magazine as a contractor in 2010, and took over as Editor-in-Chief in 2012. He has broad experience in technology areas ranging from microprocessors to digital media to wireless networks that he gained over 30 years in the trade press. Wright has experience running global editorial operations, such as during his tenure as worldwide editorial director of EDN Magazine, and has been instrumental in launching publication websites going back to the earliest days of the Internet. Wright has won numerous industry awards, including multiple ASBPE national awards for B2B journalism excellence, and has received finalist recognition for LEDs Magazine in the FOLIO Eddie Awards. He received a BS in electrical engineering from Auburn University.