Emergent Computation: From Viruses and Immune Systems to Software and Security

A core theme at SFI since its founding, emergent computation refers to collective behaviors in complex systems that generate informational processes, whether they are evolved in nature or designed by engineers.

In the 30+ years since the publication of "Emergent Computation" (edited by Prof. Stephanie Forrest, a former SFI vice president for academic affairs), SFI-affiliated researchers have made advances in many related areas, particularly biologically-inspired computation. These include evolutionary algorithms and models, vaccine design, virus evolution and epidemiology, computational security inspired by the adaptive immune system, and software robustness. The workshop will bring together a wide range of SFI-affiliated researchers to assess progress and fuel ongoing and future collaborations in these important related fields.