Speaker Biographies
Suzanne Barber
Jim Browne
Suzanne Barber is a Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering
Department at The University of Texas at Austin and Director of The
Laboratory for Intelligent Processes and Systems (http://www.lips.utexas.edu).
Dr. Barber is a leading researcher in the development of distributed,
autonomous agent-based systems and holder of the Temple Foundation
Fellowship in Engineering No. 1. Dr. Barber has published over 140 articles
in refereed publications and holds copyrights for innovated software
engineering analysis and design environments as well as an agent-based
design, experimentation and simulation environment.
Jim Browne is a Professor of Computer Science and Physics at The University
of Texas at Austin. Browne's research interests span parallel programming
and computation, performance measurement and analysis and software
engineering. He is a fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery, of
the British Computer Society and of the American Physical Society and of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Bobby Bryant is a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Computer Sciences
at the University of Texas at Austin. He is researching the application of
genetic algorithms for training artificial neural networks to serve as the
'brains' for intelligent autonomous agents in games and other multi-agent
systems with rich environments.
Alexander Cavalli is the deputy director of the IC2 Institute. In the early
nineties, while leading architectural design of MCC's Enterprise Integration
Project, Dr. Cavalli and his staff created the foundation for much of what
is now recognized as the Internet. Working with leading universities and
corporations and supported by US government funding, the EINet project was
designed to demonstrate how electronic commerce would work and what network
infrastructure was necessary to support it.
Nate Kohl is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Computer Sciences at the
University of Texas at Austin. His research interests include applying
genetic algorithms to complex multi-agent simulations, using developmental
encodings to evolve increasingly complex structures, and programming teams
of robotic dogs to play soccer.
Tim Fields has been developing games and 3D software for nine years for
Digital Anvil Studios, Eclipse Entertainment, and Microsoft. His background
spans many different disciplines in game development, from character
modeling and animation to engine and 3D tool design. A graduate of The
University of Texas, Tim currently leads the design efforts on Microsoft's
XBox shooter, Brute Force.
CCO and Executive Producer at NCSoft Austin/Destination Games, Richard
Garriott (a.k.a. Lord British) is author of the best-selling Ultima series,
including Ultima Online. He is a true veteran of the computer gaming
industry. Richard co-founded Origin Systems with his brother Robert. We
can't do Richard's biography justice here, just know that he is a pioneer
and respected designer.
Troy Gilbert has been a Field Engineer for Criterion Software in North
America since 2001. He is responsible for overseeing all technical
evangelism for Criterion's middleware products, RenderWare Platform and
Studio, including developer training. Prior to Criterion, Troy graduated Cum
Laude from the University of Arkansas where he did his undergraduate thesis
on using behavioral models to control particle systems. Troy lives with his
wife in Austin, Texas.
John Hancock received his Ph.D. in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University
in 1999 where he worked on vision and navigation algorithms for robotic
cars. Tired of unreliable robotic hardware getting in the way of developing
interesting AI, John left academia and began his game industry career at
Activision. While at Activision, he was Co-Lead Programmer and AI developer
for Star Trek: Armada (shipped March 2000). He joined LucasArts in May 2000,
where he has worked on Star Wars: Obi-Wan and Star Wars: Bounty Hunter. He
is currently working on the squad AI for Star Wars: Republic Commando. A
designer at heart, John got his start in games by developing add-on levels
for Bungie's Marathon Infinity to procrastinate writing his doctoral thesis.
Matt Hayes studied Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech before really
getting into programming while working with Virginia-based Exegetics, Inc.
on custom Computer Vision applications for the US and German post offices
and the Virginia Department of Transportation. While at Virginia Tech, he
volunteered much of his free time to programming for an independent online
roleplaying game, where he developed an interest in AI. Matt now spends his
free time on independent projects, game design, and programming experiments.
Ryan Houlette is a lead software engineer at Stottler Henke, an artificial
intelligence software consulting firm, where he has worked for the past five
years on a variety of government and commercial AI applications. He is the
architect of the runtime engine for Stottler Henke's SimBionic game AI
middleware product. His primary research interests are in game/simulation AI
engines, visual AI authoring environments, and interactive narrative
systems. Ryan holds a master's degree in AI from Stanford University, and
when he's not thinking about AI he's usually performing as a
singer/songwriter or playing a CRPG with his wife.
Benjamin Kuipers holds an endowed Professorship in Computer Sciences at the
University of Texas at Austin. He investigates the representation of
commonsense and expert knowledge, with particular emphasis on the effective
use of incomplete knowledge. His research accomplishments include developing
the TOUR Model of spatial knowledge in the cognitive map, the QSIM algorithm
for qualitative simulation, the Algernon system for knowledge
representation, and the Spatial Semantic Hierarchy model of knowledge for
robot exploration and mapping. He is a Fellow of AAAI and IEEE.
Risto Miikkulainen is a Professor in the Department of Computer Sciences.
His research interests include Cognitive Science, i.e. models of
schema-based vision, concept learning, and natural language processing;
Computational Neuroscience, especially development, plasticity, and function
of the visual cortex, and episodic memory; and Neuroevolution, i.e. evolving
neural networks with genetic algorithms.
Jeff Orkin has been developing A.I. systems for computer games since 1996.
Currently employed as a Senior A.I. Engineer at Monolith Productions, he
contributed to the critically acclaimed 1960s spy game No One Lives Forever
2. Jeff has written for A.I. Game Programming Wisdom 1 & 2, and gained
previous game industry experience at Sierra. Jeff holds a Masters degree in
Computer Science from the University of Washington, and his bachelors from
Tufts University includes a minor in Studio Art.
Matt Patterson is the Senior Systems Analyst for the DMC, providing
information management, infrastructure maintenance and systems support, web
development, and programming. He specializes in the development of dynamic,
content-driven web applications with a focus on the marriage between graphic
design and backend programming. Matt studied fiction writing at Virginia
Tech and is an avid science-fiction writer and game designer.
Borut Pfeifer graduated from Georgia Tech in 1998, and after working in
various software development positions, cofounded White Knuckle Games in May
of 2001. Up until April 2003, Borut worked there as lead designer and
gameplay/AI programmer on the cyberpunk action-rpg, Reality's Edge. He has
an article in Secrets of the Game Business and two articles in the upcoming
Game Programming Gems 4 (both published by Charles River Media). He
currently works at Radical Entertainment.
Thomas Rolfes worked in the game and technology teams of Criterion and Kuju
and as studio technology programmer at Lionhead on titles including Redline
Racer Dreamcast, Trickstyle, Lotus Challenge, Microsoft Train Simulator and
Black & White 2. He studied physics at university of Muenster and computer
science at university of Hagen.
Brian Stankiewicz is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology
at the University of Texas at Austin. He is also head of the Shape and Space
Perception Lab which is investigating the representations and processes
mediating human object recognition and spatial navigation. Dr. Stankiewicz
uses computational approaches to understand human spatial navigation
behavior. Specifically, he is interested in understanding how people learn
about a large-scale spaces (buildings, cities), and once familiar with a
space, how do they use this knowledge for way-finding.
Kenneth Stanley is a Ph.D. Candidate in computer science at the University
of Texas at Austin. He developed the NeuroEvolution of Augmenting Topologies
(NEAT) method for evolving increasingly complex neural network controllers.
NEAT is featured as a method for evolving video game character controllers
in the book "AI Techniques for Game Programming," by Mat Buckland. Ken has
also worked on real-time evolution that takes place during actual game play.
Paul Tozour has spent the last several years designing and developing a
shared AI platform for Thief 3 and Deus Ex 2: Invisible War at Ion Storm
Austin. Prior to that, he developed the combat AI systems for Microsoft's
MechWarrior 4: Vengeance. Paul was also one of the founding members of Gas
Powered Games and designed and programmed a real-time strategy game called
WarBreeds for Broderbund/Red Orb Entertainment. He has also written numerous
AI articles for the Game Programming Gems and AI Game Programming Wisdom
series and is currently the AI section editor for Game Programming Gems 4.
Gordon Walton has been authoring games and managing game development since
1977. He currently serves as VP and Executive Producer for an unannounced
product at Sony Online Entertainment. Prior to joining Sony Online
Entertainment, Gordon was VP and Executive Producer of The Sims Online at
Electronic Arts/Maxis, and before that he was VP online services for Origin
Systems managing Ultima Online.
Ellen Wartella, Ph.D., is the dean of the College of Communication at The
University of Texas at Austin, the largest and most comprehensive
communication college in the country. Under Dean Wartella's leadership, the
College has become one of the most sought after UT Colleges among
prospective students; the College's endowment has more than doubled; and
College faculty, departments and programs have achieved national recognition
for excellence.
