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(Note: the ECoMASS Workshop takes place in conjunction with the GECCO 2014 conference.)

ECoMASS Workshop: Call for Papers

Evolutionary computation (EC) and multi-agent systems and simulation (MASS) both involve populations of agents. EC is a learning technique by which a population of individual agents adapt according to the selection pressures exerted by an environment; MASS seeks to understand how to coordinate the actions of a population of (possibly selfish) autonomous agents that share an environment so that some outcome is achieved. Both EC and MASS have top-down and bottom up features. For example, some aspects of multi-agent system engineering (e.g., mechanism design) are concerned with how top-down structure can constrain or influence individual decisions. Similarly, most work in EC is concerned with how to engineer selective pressures to drive the evolution of individual behavior towards some desired goal. Multi-agent simulation (also called agent-based modeling) addresses the bottom-up issue of how collective behavior emerges from individual action. Likewise, the study of evolutionary dynamics within EC (for example in coevolution) often considers how population-level phenomena emerge from individual-level interactions. Thus, at a high level, we may view EC and MASS as examining and utilizing analogous processes. It is therefore natural to consider how knowledge gained within EC may be relevant to MASS, and vice versa; indeed, applications and techniques from one field have often made use of technologies and algorithms from the other field. Studying EC and MASS in combination is warranted and has the potential to contribute to both fields.

The EcoMASS workshop, now in its 8th iteration, welcomes original submissions on all aspects of Evolutionary Computation and Multi-Agent Systems and Simulation, which include (but are not limited to) the following topics and themes:

  • Multi-agent systems and agent-based models utilizing evolutionary computation
  • Optimization of multi-agent systems and agent-based models using evolutionary computation
  • Evolutionary computation models which rely not on explicit fitness functions but rather implicit fitness functions defined by the relationship to other individuals/agents
  • Applications utilizing MASS and EC in combination
  • Biological agent-based models (usually called individual-based models) involving evolution
  • Evolution of cooperation and altruism
  • Genotypic representation of the complex phenotypic strategies of MASS
  • Evolutionary learning within MASS (including Baldwinian learning and phenotypic plasticity)
  • Emergence and feedbacks
  • Open-ended strategy spaces and evolution
  • Adaptive individuals within evolving populations

Paper Submission

Each accepted paper will be presented orally at the workshop and distributed in the workshop proceedings to all GECCO attendees. Authors should follow the same format as is used for the GECCO conference papers; refer to http://www.sigevo.org/gecco-2014/papers.html for details. Manuscripts should not exceed 8 pages. Papers should be submitted by March XX, 2014 in PDF format to forrest.stonedahl@centre.edu with "ECoMASS paper submission" in the subject line.

Important Dates

Paper submission deadline: March 28, 2014

Notification of acceptance: April 15, 2014

Camera-ready deadline: April 25, 2014

Accepted Author Registration deadline: TBA

ECoMASS 2014 Workshop Schedule

Date: July 12 or 13, 2014
Time: TBA
Location: Vancouver, Canada

Schedule of Presentations

Time Title Authors
TBA TBA TBA

Program Committee

Workshop Chairs

Program Committee for ECoMASS 2014

Former Program Committee Members

Former ECoMASS Chairs

Previous ECoMASS Workshop Websites