Nature-Inspired Algorithms—Advances in Theory, Methods, Applications, and Reviews

Dear Colleagues,

Metaheuristic techniques have become very popular. This feature is due to several reasons: the gradient-free mechanism, flexibility, and premature convergence avoidance of these algorithms. Generally, nature-inspired algorithms consider optimization problems as a black box. Therefore, it is not necessary to calculate derivatives of the search space. This fact makes nature-inspired algorithms highly flexible when it comes to solving various kinds of problems. On the other hand, optimization techniques are employed to find several optimal values to generate a candidate solution which is able to solve a given problem effectively. The target is to find the optimal value among several available alternatives. The final result of the optimization process is the choice of the best value from all the given options. In literature, nature-inspired algorithms are classified into two classes: evolutionary and swarm intelligence techniques. Among well-known Evolutionary Algorithms, there are Genetic Algorithms (GA), Differential Evolution (DE), Evolution Strategies (ES), and Evolutionary Programming (EP). The most famous swarm intelligent algorithms are Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO).

We would like to announce a Special Issue entitled “Nature-Inspired Algorithms—Advances in Theory, Methods, Applications, and Reviews” to be published in the MDPI journal Algorithms. This Special Issue focusses on nature-inspired algorithms for search and optimization, such as methods from swarm intelligence, evolutionary computation, and related areas. We invite papers dealing with such methods that provide original results relating to the theoretical analysis and understanding of such algorithms, which suggest new advances of the algorithms, or which deal with related applications. In addition, we invite comprehensive surveys with interesting food for thought to enhance the state of the art in this area significantly. We encourage authors across the world to submit their original and unpublished works. We have a special interest in works focusing on the topics listed below, but we are open to other works that fit the theme of the Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Hanne
Dr. Danilo Pelusi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Algorithms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.