Fernando P. Santos

Fernando P. Santos is an Associate Professor at the Informatics Institute, University of Amsterdam. He leads the Prosocial Dynamics Lab and serves as scientific lab manager for the Civic AI Lab, focusing on AI systems that promote prosocial behavior and fairness.

• Current affiliation: University of Amsterdam (2025)
• Previous roles: Postdoctoral Fellow at Princeton (2018-2025)
• Education: PhD in Computer Science, Instituto Superior Técnico (2018)

His research lies at the intersection of AI and Complex Systems, with emphasis on behavioral dynamics in adaptive learning systems and algorithmic fairness. Key themes include:

• Indirect reciprocity in hybrid human-AI populations
• Reinforcement learning for fair cooperation
• Social norm modeling in multi-agent systems
• Polarization dynamics in LLM agents
• Transportation network interventions for societal equity
• Responsible AI governance frameworks

Recent work (2024-2025) explores performative prediction in game theory, fairness guarantees in RL, and LLM-driven social dynamics. His 15 most recent publications span multi-agent cooperation, algorithmic fairness, and urban/social policy design.

Scientific recognitions include:

• Victor Lesser Dissertation Award (2018)
• APPIA Best Thesis in AI (2017-2018)
• ELLIS Scholar (2025)

He received a NWO-M grant (2024) for Cooperation and reputation in multi-agent reinforcement learning and an ERC Starting Grant (2023) for the RE-LINK project studying algorithmic recommendations' social impacts. Current PhD advisee: Roman.