Charles M. Falco is a Professor of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona where he holds the UA Chair of Condensed Matter Physics. He has published more than 250 scientific manuscripts (most of which relate to his work as an optical physicist), co-edited two books, has seven U.S. patents, and has given more than 200 invited talks on his research at conferences and research institutions in some 20 countries.

In addition to his scientific research, he has participated in a number of collaborative projects related to the visual arts.  In 1998 he was co-recipient of an award from the International Association of Art Critics for his work as co-curator of the Solomon R. Guggenheim exhibit "The Art of the Motorcycle," for which he also wrote the exhibition catalog's introductory essay and bibliography. With over 2 million visitors, in New York, Chicago, Bilbao, Spain and the Guggenheim Las Vegas, it is by far the most successful exhibition of industrial design ever assembled, and is the 5th most attended museum exhibition of any kind. He has provided exhibition consultation for such renowned artists as the video artist, Nam June Paik, and the performance artist, Chris Burden.  Most notably, in 2001, a collaboration with the artist David Hockney that found artists of such repute as van Eyck, Bellini and Caravaggio used optical projections in creating portions of their work resulted in widespread coverage in the popular media, including an hour-long BBC special, and over 100 invited talks and public lectures on this topic in over 20 countries.