Tim Schulte

I received a Master of Science in computer science from the University of Freiburg in January 2014. Since February 2014 I have been working in the Research Group on the Foundations of Artificial Intelligence headed by Prof. Dr. Bernhard Nebel. Occasionally I lead exercise groups for the courses Introduction to Programming in Python or Java and Game Theory. My research interests include Classical and Multi Agent Planning, as well as Game Theory.

Currently I am investigating the problem of classical planning for multiple cooperative agents that maintain private information on their capabilities and internal states. Each agent utilizes its own planning system that exploits only those parts of the search space relevant to the agent. Due to the limited capabilities of each agent they might not be able to solve the problem on their own and exhaust their search space quickly. Therefore communication during the planning process is essential.

I am currently implementing a distributed multi-agent planning system, that is capable of dealing with cooperative agents that preserve private information. My goal is to participate in the next competition on distributed and multi-agent planning (CoDMAP).

My long-term goal is to investigate competitive domains in which the agents do not necessarily cooperate if it isn't beneficial for them. In such a setting negotiation mechanisms are key to ensure that no agent has an incentive to be untruthful or to deviate from agreements with other agents.