UF Digital Worlds Institute appoints Tim Difato as director
On behalf of Interim Dean Jennifer Setlow:
Dear colleagues,
I am writing to announce the appointment of Tim Difato as the next director of the Digital Worlds Institute. His appointment to the role of Digital Worlds’ Director and Associate Professor begins on July 1, 2026.
Tim has served as the institute’s acting director since July 2023. Prior to this, he served as the institute’s associate director from 2017-2023 and as the institute’s assistant director for business development. In addition to his administrative positions, Tim has also served in a variety of interdisciplinary research and creative roles as an associate in digital arts and sciences, as well as teaching faculty, where he specializes in studio production management and emerging media with a focus on AR/VR/XR.
As director of the Digital Worlds Institute, Tim’s administrative responsibilities will include: developing, fostering, and maintaining an environment where interdisciplinary faculty and student research thrive; helping to shape the curricula to ensure that graduating students are prepared to move into the professional world or advanced study; promoting the visibility of the institute’s vision, goals, and accomplishments to its constituencies and collaborators, and leading efforts in external engagement and fundraising.
Tim was selected for the role of permanent director following a competitive nationwide search that launched in 2025. I would like to extend my gratitude to the search committee chairs, Osubi Craig and Elizabeth Ross, and to committee members Angelos Barmpoutis, Hyo Kang, Darius Brown, and Ethan Tripp. Thank you, also, to Piper Call and Kaley Mestayer for providing administrative support.
Throughout the past two and a half years as the institute’s acting director, Tim has led efforts to increase Digital Worlds’ program visibility and enhance curricular impact, resulting in a 28% rise in online undergraduate enrollment and a 50% increase in minors, with the institute now representing students from eight of UF’s 16 colleges. He also collaborated with Digital Worlds faculty to optimize the Digital Arts and Sciences undergraduate curriculum. These efforts doubled the applied learning opportunities available to Digital Worlds students and streamlined graduation pathways while simultaneously aligning programs with industry needs — resulting in the institute’s ascension in national rankings in the fields of game design and animation.
Research outcomes at the Digital Worlds Institute have thrived under Tim’s leadership. Thanks to his focused efforts to enhance grant development and interdisciplinary collaboration, Digital Worlds faculty currently lead or co-lead $13.4 million in active projects, with $1.13 million stewarded through the College of the Arts. Furthermore, faculty research proposals have increased by 33%, and indirect funds have grown by nearly 80% — positioning the institute as a powerful leader, both university-wide and nationally, in interdisciplinary research.
Not only has Tim served in an array of leadership, research, creative, and service roles for more than a decade at the institute; he is also a UF graduate four times over. Tim earned a B.S. in Marketing (2009) and an M.S. in Marketing and Business Entrepreneurship (2011) from the Warrington College of Business; an M.A. in Digital Arts and Sciences (2013) from the College of the Arts, and in 2025 he completed his Ed.D., Doctor of Education, Educational Technology, from the College of Education.
As Digital Worlds celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, I cannot think of a more qualified or committed person to lead the institute into its next chapter.
Throughout 13 years of service at the Digital Worlds Institute, Tim has demonstrated a deep and persevering commitment to collaboration, growth, and excellence that positively impacts not only the students and alumni, faculty, and staff at the Digital Worlds Institute, but is powerfully felt across the College of the Arts and the University of Florida.
With Tim’s thoughtful leadership and collaborative spirit at the helm, I am confident the Digital Worlds Institute will continue to equip students with an industry-competitive edge while advancing its ascent as a leader in interdisciplinary research, innovation, and scholarly collaboration — and as a driver of substantial impact at the University of Florida and beyond.
Please join me in congratulating Tim and in extending well wishes for his continued success as director of the Digital Worlds Institute.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Setlow
Interim Dean
UF College of the Arts