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Evolutionary Computation

A hands-on, code-first guide - from genetic algorithms to CMA-ES, swarm intelligence, and beyond

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Code-First

Every concept has runnable Python. No hand-waving - you'll implement EC algorithms from scratch.

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Just Enough Math

Clear explanations with KaTeX-rendered equations. Enough rigor to understand why things work.

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Real-World Examples

From robot locomotion to portfolio optimization - see how evolutionary methods solve actual problems.

27 Modules, Zero to Mastery

A structured path through genetic algorithms, evolution strategies, swarm intelligence, neuroevolution, and beyond.

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M00

Introduction to EC

What is evolutionary computation, CI landscape, setup your lab

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M01

Optimization Foundations

Random search, hill climbing, fitness landscapes, No Free Lunch

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M02

Representation & Operators

Binary, real, permutation encodings; mutation, crossover, selection

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M03

GA Fundamentals

Holland's GA, binary encoding, crossover, schema theorem

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M04

GA Advanced

Real-coded GAs, SBX, adaptive operators, island models

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M05

The (1+1)-ES

Rechenberg's 1/5th rule, Gaussian mutation, step-size adaptation

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M06

Population-Based ES

(ยต,ฮป)-ES, (ยต+ฮป)-ES, self-adaptation

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M07

CMA-ES

Covariance matrix adaptation, rank-one/rank-mu updates

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M08

CMA-ES Advanced & NES

Restarts, large-scale variants, natural gradients, xNES

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M09

Genetic Programming

Tree-based GP, symbolic regression, bloat control

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M10

Differential Evolution

DE/rand/1, adaptive DE, SHADE, when DE beats CMA-ES

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M11

EDAs

PBIL, UMDA, BOA, CMA-ES as an EDA

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M12

Coevolution & Memetic

Competitive/cooperative coevolution, EA + local search

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M13

Particle Swarm (PSO)

Velocity update, topologies, inertia weight

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M14

Ant Colony (ACO)

Pheromone trails, TSP, routing problems

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M15

Other Swarm Methods

ABC, firefly, the metaphor problem in EC

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M16

Multi-Objective EA

Pareto fronts, NSGA-II, SPEA2, hypervolume

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M17

Many-Objective & MOEA/D

NSGA-III, decomposition, indicator-based methods

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M18

Quality-Diversity

MAP-Elites, novelty search, illumination algorithms

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M19

Neuroevolution

NEAT, HyperNEAT, evolving network topology

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M20

EC for NN Training

Weight evolution, NAS, hybrid gradient+evolution

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M21

ES for RL

OpenAI ES, shared noise tables, policy optimization

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M22

Constrained & Combinatorial

Penalty methods, scheduling, mixed-integer

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M23

Surrogate-Assisted

Expensive optimization, GP surrogates, Bayesian connection

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M24

LCS & Hyper-heuristics

Evolving rules, evolving heuristics, algorithm configuration

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M25

Benchmarking

BBOB/COCO, ECDF plots, statistical testing

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M26

Theory & Capstone

Runtime analysis, natural gradients, capstone project

Ready to evolve?

All you need is Python 3.13+ and a tolerance for watching fitness curves that take 500 generations to do anything interesting.

Get Started