Camilo Ayala-Garcia is a Colombian designer, professor and researcher.
He obtained his PhD degree on the topic of Do-It-Yourself Materials as triggers of change at Politecnico di Milano. Before this PhD research, Camilo received a Master of Arts in Design degree from Domus Academy (the University of Wales accredited school of design) in Milan, awarded with Distinction. He is trained as an Industrial Designer and a Textile Designer at the Los Andes University in Bogotá.

Camilo began his professional career in Colombia in 2001, where he earned experience in product design, developing several projects for renowned local and international clients. After various years of work as a professional designer, Camilo moved to Germany to attend Hochschule Pforzheim for the MSc. Produktentwicklung (Product development) as a guest student and learn the language. Subsequently, he transferred to Italy to complete his Master’s studies. After graduation, Camilo started to share time as a tutor at Domus Academy and work as a product designer for Donegani & Lauda studio and Cammarata Gioielli studio in Milan. Having spent some years of experience abroad, Camilo returned to his hometown to become a full-time professor and researcher at his alma mater, where he was appointed associate professor in the design department until 2022.

Camilo recently transferred to Italy to work as a researcher in the Design Friction Lab at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, bridging emerging technologies and materialities towards a transitional circularity. He devoted his research to local materials and product development together with his teaching activities, with several patents granted and different academic contributions published.
Being Spanish, his mother language, Camilo is Fluent in German, Italian and English.