The Herbert A. Simon Award is presented to researchers who have made important lifetime contributions to the field of complex systems science. It is named in memory of Herbert A. Simon for his pioneering work on complex systems, artificial intelligence, information processing, decision-making, problem-solving, and organization theory. The award ceremony is held during the International Conference on Complex Systems.
In 2020, the Award will be presented to Computing Community Consortium (CCC) Council member Melanie Mitchell for her prolific contributions to complex systems science and artificial intelligence. Prof. Mitchell is the Davis Professor of Complexity at the Santa Fe Institute, and Professor of Computer Science (currently on leave) at Portland State University. Her current research focuses on conceptual abstraction, analogy-making, and visual recognition in artificial intelligence systems.
Prof. Mitchell is the author or editor of six books and numerous scholarly papers in the fields of artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and complex systems. Her latest book is Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans. She originated the Santa Fe Institute’s Complexity Explorer platform, which offers online courses and other educational resources related to the field of complex systems. Her online course “Introduction to Complexity” has been taken by over 25,000 students, and is one of Course Central’s “top fifty online courses of all time.”
Congrats, Melanie!