Yara Khaluf

Dr. Yara Khaluf is an Assistant Professor in the Information Technology Group at Wageningen University & Research, Department of Social Sciences. She holds a PhD (2014, Paderborn University, cum laude) on robot swarm task allocation, followed by postdoctoral research at Paderborn University (2014–2015) and Ghent University’s IDLab (2015–2021). Her work focuses on computational social science, hybrid human-agent societies, and distributed artificial cognition, leveraging agent-based modeling and systems dynamics for behavior prediction/modulation. She leads European-funded projects like ChronoPilot (EU Horizon2020 FET) and DELICIOS (FWO, 2019–2022).

Her research explores interactions between artificial agents and humans, developing cognitive capacities for seamless interaction via social feedback networks. Notable contributions include collective foraging algorithms, time perception modeling, and agent-based simulations for public health interventions. Awards include competitive IGS and DFG fellowships. She collaborates with leading experts in swarm intelligence (Dorigo, Stuetzle), collective decision-making (Hamann, Marshall), and experimental psychology (Johansson, Vatakis).

Current projects investigate modulating human time perception and delegation of conflict-of-interest decisions to AI agents. Teaching includes courses on model thinking, agent-based modeling of complex systems, and data science applications in food/consumer science. Her work bridges computational methods with societal challenges, emphasizing scalable solutions for hybrid systems.