Welcome to the Digital Media + AI Innovation Lab
Where practice and media science meet.
Established in 2025, the Digital Media + AI Innovation Lab (DMAIL) is a hub for dynamic research investigating phenomena related to digital media, new and emerging media, and artificial intelligence. Faculty and students from the School of Communication (SoC) perform research that has scholarly and practical implications for stakeholders across disciplines, and offer services to community professionals seeking to leverage quality data in pursuit of better measurable results.
Community Engagement
If you are a business owner, work at a corporation or an agency, or serve on a board for a nonprofit, you probably have some research questions. Perhaps your marketing materials need a refresh, you want to create vertical video content, or you want to gauge human perceptions of an AI chatbot before you deploy it on your website. We can help with that. Before you click print or publish, consider reaching out to gather real-time research about the effectiveness of your media materials or software.
We are professional media and communication researchers, and we will help you solve your research problems with our technology and expertise.
Equipped for Excellence
The DMAIL is outfitted with research tools and technology that enable a wide range of research methods. From immersive virtual reality testing to real-time audience feedback via dial-testing, our lab is designed to support rigorous, high-impact media and communication research.
In addition, our affiliated faculty are academic researchers trained at top research institutions in a wide array of methods, including qualitative, interpretive methods (interviews, focus groups, or thematic coding) and quantitative, deductive methods (surveys, experiments, or content analysis). We are here to help you answer your questions. Our affiliated faculty are trained researchers in strategic communication, multimedia journalism, advertising, digital marketing, and social media analytics.
We are eager to help you with your research goals, and we are actively seeking out interdisciplinary teams.
Learn More About Our Lab Equipment
Strategic Impact
The DMAIL’s research and engagement efforts are in direct alignment with the University of North Florida’s Strategic Plan to expand impactful and relevant research, scholarship, and creative activity to earn R1-status as an institution, expand community engagement opportunities, and establish UNF as an intellectual hub within the region.
Get In Touch
If you have questions about a potential collaboration with DMAIL or would like to request any other information, please contact digitalmedialab@unf.edu.