About Me:

I work for the Institute for Simulation and Training at the University of Central Florida. My area of interest is in developing empirical research and theory for understanding coadaptive learning algorithms for multiagent systems. In particular, in my dissertation I focused on using evolutionary game theory as a tool for understanding the dynamics of compositional (cooperative) coevolutionary algorithms. My wife is an ordained Lutheran Pastor (ELCA). Though currently between calls because of our move to Florida, she used to serve as pastor of Lutheran Church of the Living Word in Columbia, MD. Our daughter, Epiphany Rose Wiegand, is a rambunctious toddler ... she keeps us very busy.

Recent Activities

• I took first place in the upper kyu division of the 2008 Orlando Go Tournament, and I regularly attend club meetings with Go Orlando
• Thomas Jansen, Annie Wu, Ivan Garibay, and I are organizing the next Foundations of Genetic Algorithms in Orlando, Jan. 9-11 2009.
• I finally have a start on my lab, the Natural Computation and Coadaptive Systems laboratory!
• I am teaching CAP 5610 (Machine Learning) at UCF Fall semester, 2007
• I will be participating in the 2008 Dagstuhl seminar on Theory of Evolutionary Algorithms
• Edwin de Jong, Kenneth Stanley, and I organized the Introductory Tutorial on Coevolution at GECCO-07 (Anthony Bucci & Sevan Ficici organized the advanced tutorial)
• I recently moved from working for ITT at NCARAI to being on the research faculty at IST
• See my newly revised Reading Journal!
• I am participating in the slow-to-be-revised Coevolution Wiki

Publications, etc.

• My research
• My publications
• My dissertation
• My CV (PDF file)