The Phygital Design Lab was founded in 2024 by Dr. Anna Ruth Gatlin and Prof. Georges Fares at Auburn University, born from a shared belief that design shouldn't have to choose between the physical and the digital. The name "phygital" reflects that philosophy: a space where two worlds meet, where an idea that begins as pixels on a screen can be shaped, printed, painted, or built into something you can hold, walk through, or experience in the real world.

At its core, the lab is a research-driven creative studio that blends traditional physical craft with emerging digital technologies. Students and faculty work across a wide range of tools and methods, from 3D modeling, augmented and virtual reality, and digital fabrication, to painting, material studies, and hands-on making. Rather than treating these separate disciplines, the lab weaves them together to reimagine historical narratives, material practices, and design scholarship for contemporary, inclusive audiences. 

Phygital Design Lab continues to grow as an ongoing research initiative, always exploring new questions at the intersection of technology, history, and the built environment, and always looking for curious, motivated students to join the work.