Niko Lorantos | University of Massachusetts Amherst

I’m an undergraduate researcher investigating how simple learning rules give rise to complex intelligence in artificial and biological systems. I study computational mathematics with multidisciplinary honors at UMass Amherst and conduct research on neural computation, evolutionary AI, and artificial life at Amherst College where I am advised by Lee Spector.

Previously, I was a Research Engineer at UMass CICS and an AI Engineering Intern at a biotech startup. I also built an agentic chat assistant that contextualizes search queries based on geographic data, and led a team to develop a Rubik’s Cube solver with deep reinforcement learning. I regularly contribute to private research codebases and industry projects.

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

Research

ALIFE 25

Adaptive Exploration in Lenia with Intrinsic Multi-Objective Ranking

Niko Lorantos, Lee Spector

The 2025 Conference on Artificial Life (Under Submission)

We evolve populations of Lenia artificial life through intrinsic objectives to promote diversity, emergent complexity, and open-endedness.

PDF arXiv Code

GPTP XXII

Evolution of Artificial Intelligence, Continued

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

Genetic Programming Theory & Practice XXII

We outline significant advancements in AI driven by evolution, particularly in neural architecture design and preference learning.