M.H.M. Winands

M.H.M. Winands is a Professor in Machine Reasoning and Chair of the Department of Advanced Computing Sciences at Maastricht University's Faculty of Science and Engineering. He received his PhD in Artificial Intelligence from Maastricht University in 2004. His research focuses on heuristic search algorithms, Monte-Carlo Tree Search (MCTS), and artificial intelligence in games, with significant contributions to General Game Playing and adaptive search methods.

Winands leads research on:

• Monte-Carlo Tree Search variants and hybridization
• Online learning of search-control knowledge
• Game-solving algorithms (Proof-Number Search)
• Self-adaptive AI systems for games

His work has been applied to diverse domains including board games (Lines of Action, Clobber), video games (StarCraft, Ms. Pac-Man), and structural engineering.

Analysis of his publications shows strong emphasis on:

• Enhancing MCTS robustness through parameter randomization
• Developing hybrid algorithms combining MCTS with classical search
• Creating adaptive systems for general game playing
• Hardware acceleration of game AI components

Awards include:

• ChessBase Best-Publication Award (2004, 2008)
• Multiple Computer Olympiad wins for game-playing programs

He has supervised 3 PhD students and 22 MSc students, with research supported by NWO grants (GoGeneral, Go4Nature). Leads the DKE Games and AI group and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the ICGA Journal.