Michael John Wooldridge (born 26 August 1966) is a professor of

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...

at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. His main research interests is in

multi-agent system A multi-agent system (MAS or "self-organized system") is a computerized system composed of multiple interacting intelligent agents.Hu, J.; Bhowmick, P.; Jang, I.; Arvin, F.; Lanzon, A.,A Decentralized Cluster Formation Containment Framework f ...

s, and in particular, in the computational theory aspects of rational action in systems composed of multiple self-interested agents. His work is characterised by the use of techniques from

computational logic Computational logic is the use of logic to perform or reason about computation. It bears a similar relationship to computer science and engineering as mathematical logic bears to mathematics and as philosophical logic bears to philosophy. It is s ...

game theory Game theory is the study of mathematical models of strategic interactions among rational agents. Myerson, Roger B. (1991). ''Game Theory: Analysis of Conflict,'' Harvard University Press, p.&nbs1 Chapter-preview links, ppvii–xi It has appli ...

, and

social choice theory Social choice theory or social choice is a theoretical framework for analysis of combining individual opinions, preferences, interests, or welfares to reach a ''collective decision'' or ''social welfare'' in some sense.Amartya Sen (2008). "Soci ...

Education

Wooldridge was educated at the

University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology The University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) was a university based in the centre of the city of Manchester in England. It specialised in technical and scientific subjects and was a major centre for research. On 1 Oct ...

(UMIST) where he was awarded a PhD in 1991.

Career and research

Wooldridge was appointed a lecturer in

Computer Science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...

at the

Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester Metropolitan University is located in the centre of Manchester, England. The university has over 40,000 students and over 4,000 members of staff. It is home to four faculties (Arts and Humanities, Business and Law, Health and Educat ...

in 1992. In 1996, he moved to London, where he became senior lecturer at Queen Mary and Westfield College in 1998. His appointment as full professor in the Department of Computer Science at the

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

followed in 1999. In Liverpool he served as head of department from 2001 to 2005 and as head of the School of Electrical Engineering, Electronics, and Computer Science from 2008 to 2011. In 2012 the

European Research Council The European Research Council (ERC) is a public body for funding of scientific and technological research conducted within the European Union (EU). Established by the European Commission in 2007, the ERC is composed of an independent Scientific ...

awarded him a five-year ERC Advanced Grant for the project ''Reasoning about Computational Economies'' (RACE). In the same year he left Liverpool to become professor of computer science at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

, and served as head of the Department of Computer Science from 2014 - 2018. In Oxford he is a senior research fellow of

Hertford College, Oxford Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main ga ...

. Michael Wooldridge is author of more than 300 academic publications.

Editorial service

* 2003–2009 co-editor-in-chief of the ''Journal Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems'' * 2006–2009 associate editor of the ''Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research'' (JAIR) * 2009–2012 associate editor of the ''Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research'' (JAIR) Other editorships: ''Journal of Applied Logic'', '' Journal of Logic and Computation'', ''Journal of Applied Artificial Intelligence'', and ''

Computational Intelligence The expression computational intelligence (CI) usually refers to the ability of a computer to learn a specific task from data or experimental observation. Even though it is commonly considered a synonym of soft computing, there is still no c ...

''.

Awards and honors

He is a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the

Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence The Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) is an international scientific society devoted to promote research in, and responsible use of, artificial intelligence. AAAI also aims to increase public understanding of artif ...

(AAAI), a

European Coordinating Committee for Artificial Intelligence The European Association for Artificial Intelligence (EurAI) (formerly European Co-ordinating Committee for Artificial Intelligence (ECCAI)) is the representative body for the European artificial intelligence community. EurAI was established in 19 ...

(ECCAI) Fellow, a

Society for the Study of Artificial Intelligence and the Simulation of Behaviour The Society for the Study of Artificial Intelligence and Simulation of Behaviour or SSAISB or AISB is a nonprofit, scientific society devoted to advancing the scientific understanding of the mechanisms underlying thought and intelligent behaviou ...

(AISB) Fellow, and a British Computer Society (BCS) Fellow. In 2015, he was made

Association for Computing Machinery The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) is a US-based international learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 and is the world's largest scientific and educational computing society. The ACM is a non-profit professional member ...

(ACM) Fellow for his contributions to multi-agent systems and the formalisation of rational action in multi-agent environments. * 2021 AAAI/EAAI Outstanding Educator Award * 2020 BCS Lovelace Medal * 2015 Elected an

(ACM)

. For ''contributions to multi-agent systems and the formalisation of rational action in multi-agent environments.'' * 2012–17 ERC Advanced Investigator Grant "Reasoning about Computational Economies (RACE)" (5-year €2m award) * 2009 British Society for the Study of Artificial Intelligence and Simulation of Behaviour (SSAISB) Fellow * 2008 American Association for Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) Fellow * 2008 Influential Paper Award, Special Recognition from the International Foundation for Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems, for the paper ''Intelligent Agents: Theory and Practice'' * 2007 European Association for Artificial Intelligence (ECCAI) Fellow * 2006 ACM/SIGART Autonomous Agents Research Award. For ''significant and sustained contributions to the research on autonomous agents and multi agent systems. In particular, Dr. Wooldridge has made seminal contributions to the logical foundations of multi-agent systems, especially to formal theories of co-operation, teamwork and communication, computational complexity in multi-agent systems, and agent-oriented software engineering.''

Personal life

Michael Wooldridge was born in

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...

(

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

, United Kingdom) in 1966 as the second son to John and Jean Wooldridge. He is married with two children.

Publications

* * * * * * * * *Wooldridge, Michael (19 January 2020). ''A Brief History of Artificial Intelligence: What It Is, Where We Are, and Where We Are Going''. New York: Flatiron Books. .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wooldridge, Michael Artificial intelligence researchers Alumni of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology Academics of Manchester Metropolitan University Academics of Queen Mary University of London Fellows of Hertford College, Oxford Academics of the University of Liverpool British computer scientists People from Wakefield Fellows of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence Fellows of the Association for Computing Machinery Fellows of the British Computer Society 1966 births Living people Fellows of the SSAISB Fellows of the European Association for Artificial Intelligence