John Hiles

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Technical Director John Hiles is a research professor in computer science at the Naval Postgraduate School and the MOVES Institute's Technical Director for Computer-Generated Autonomy. He is the program manager for the institute's Army Game Project, and principle investigator on research projects concerning software-agent technology. Professor Hiles' interests include multi-agent systems, complex adaptive system models and simulations, and software-systems implications of the biochemistry of the living cell.

Professor Hiles has been a computer-science advisor to scientists at government organizations in the Marine Corps and Army (STRICOM). He is a frequent participant in the Highlands Forum, a virtual think tank supported by the defense department, and an advisor to the Bios Group, a private corporation in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

In his thirty years' experience in software development, Professor Hiles has led development for nearly a hundred application and system-software products, including Amdahl Corporation's UTS, which brought UNIX to IBM-compatible mainframes, and GEM, Digital Research's pioneering work in graphical user interface.
In 1992, Professor Hiles began work with adaptive, agent-based models and simulations at Maxis, the company responsible for SimCity. He was first to apply the striking characteristics of SimCity in games/systems designed for government and business. His seven-year focus on simulations such as SimHealth, TeleSim, and Project Challenge refined and extended the use of adaptive, agent-based methods and computer-game human interfaces in commercial products.

A speaker and consultant for large businesses and governments world wide, Professor Hiles advises on using agents in e-commerce and educates on agents' ability to endow critical faculties to software dealing with complex adaptive systems. His central theme is the power of systems-thinking to serve as a nearly inextinguishable source of innovative problem solving.

Contact: JHiles@mindspring.com