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Niko Lorantos

Researcher
University of Massachusetts Amherst
nlorantos (at) umass (dot) edu


I’m an undergrad at UMass Amherst researching complex systems and intelligence. I’m studying computational mathematics with multidisciplinary honors, and conducting research on evolutionary AI and artificial life at Amherst College where I am advised by Lee Spector. Previously, I worked as a Research Engineer at UMass CICS and interned at a biotech startup as an AI Engineering Intern. My coursework spans topics in mathematics, computer science, and philosophy that encompass technical and philosophical perspectives on artificial intelligence and machine learning.

In my free time, I enjoy snowboarding, listening to music, and spending time in nature.

Papers

  1. ALIFE 2025
    Adaptive Exploration in Lenia with Intrinsic Multi-Objective Ranking

    Niko Lorantos, Lee Spector

    The 2025 Conference on Artificial Life
    PDF arXiv Under Submission

  2. GPTP 2025
    The Evolution of Artificial Intelligence, Continued

    Lee Spector, Ryan Bahlous-Boldi, Paul Vander Vort, Niko Lorantos

    Genetic Programming Theory & Practice XXII
    In Preparation

Projects

Previously I built Aura, a location-aware assistant for everyday search that contextualizes queries based on geographic data; I also led a team of math and computer science students to develop an autonomous Rubik’s Cube solver using reinforcement learning (SB3 PPO).

I’ve participated in a few hackathons including HackHarvard and HackUMass.

Relevant Coursework