Thomas Bäck is a Full Professor at the Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS), Leiden University, and Chief Scientist at NORCE Norwegian Research Center, Norway. His career spans roles as Director of the Center for Applied Systems Analysis (Germany) and Vice Scientific Director at LIACS (since 2017). He holds additional positions like Adjunct Professor at the University of Calgary and Visiting Professor at Xi'an Jiaotong University. Bäck's research focuses on evolutionary computation, machine learning, and their applications in sustainable smart industry and health. He leads interdisciplinary initiatives like the Society, Artificial Intelligence, and Life Sciences (SAILS) program, with expertise in natural computing, data-driven optimization, and quantum computing challenges. IEEE Fellow (2022) Member of KNAW (2021) IEEE CIS Pioneer Award (2015) Fellow of International Society of Genetic and Evolutionary Computation (2003) Best PhD Thesis Award from German Society of Computer Science (1995) Bäck has graduated 22 PhD students and currently supervises 14, with 62 MSc students mentored. His editorial roles include Editor-in-Chief of the Evolutionary Computation Journal and Associate Editor for multiple journals. He has secured grants from the Dutch Research Council and The Research Council of Norway for projects like ECOLE and CIMPLO.




