Dr. John Falk worked at the Smithsonian Institution for fourteen years where he held a number of senior positions including: Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Research; Director, Smithsonian Office of Educational Research; and Associate Director for Education, Chesapeake Bay Center for Environmental Studies. He earned a joint doctorate in Biology and Education from the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of over ninety scholarly articles and chapters in the areas of biology, psychology and education, co-author with Lynn Dierking of The Museum Experience, Learning from Museums: Visitor experiences and the making of meaning and Lessons without Limit: How free-choice learning is transforming education, and editor of Free-Choice Science Education: How we learn science outside of school. He is also author/editor of numerous science educational materials and books including Bubble Monster and other Science Fun, Bite Sized Science and the Smithsonian Science Activity Books (Volumes 1-3). Research priorities include the study of learning in free-choice learning settings (with particular expertise in museums), the long-term impact of free-choice educational institutions on individuals and communities, and investigating new business models for museums and other cultural institutions.
