Charles “Chuck” Hoover is a seasoned technology executive and research leader currently serving as the Director of Research Development at Meta Reality Labs in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With over 19 years of industry experience, Chuck oversees R&D strategy, hardware development, program management, and organizational scaling initiatives for Meta’s augmented/virtual reality division.
Specifically, he heads up Meta’s Codec Avatars research which is pioneering lifelike digital human representations using advanced AI, computer vision and graphics techniques. His team explores technologies like universal avatars, real-time photorealistic facial animation and full body motion capture to enable next-generation immersive communication.
Previously, Chuck was the General Manager of Meta Reality Labs Pittsburgh for 4 years where he focused the lab’s efforts on creating virtual humans and telepresence systems leveraging machine learning and computer vision.
Before joining Meta, Chuck spent over a decade driving growth and innovation at Schell Games, a prominent video game development company also based in Pittsburgh. As CPO and VP of Production, he led multiple products from conception to launch, managed key client relationships and spearheaded process improvements. Under his leadership, Schell Games experienced immense growth, rising to become one of the world’s largest independent gaming studios.
An adjunct faculty member at Carnegie Mellon’s prestigious Entertainment Technology Center for the past 11 years, Chuck created the center’s “Production and Leadership” course which immerses graduate students in real-world workflows. His academic background includes a Master’s in Entertainment Technology from CMU and a Master’s of Architecture from Virginia Tech.
With nearly 20 years cultivating top-tier teams across research, gaming and interactive media, Chuck is an instrumental force in Meta’s mission to advance augmented/virtual reality and build the metaverse. His deep ties to Pittsburgh and CMU continue to shape his pioneering work at the intersection of technology and artistic expression.