Seminars, Tutorials, Invited Talks and Lectures

• February 2025, Dagstuhl, Seminar on Estimation-of-Distribution Algorithms: Theory and Applications, It's Always the Step-Size (slides 1.2MB).
• September 2024, Hagenberg, Austria, Tutorial at PPSN, CMA-ES (slides 22MB).
• June 2024, Padova, Italy, 2nd Derivative-free Optimization Symposium (DFOS), Anytime Performance Assessment: Runtime Distributions Beyond Data Profiles (slides 9MB).
• November 2023, Rome, Keynote at the IJCCI International Joint Conference on Computational Intelligence 2023, Assessment and Evaluation of Empirical and Scientific Data (slides 6MB).
• July 2023, Tutorial at GECCO, An Introduction to Scientific Experimentation and Benchmarking (slides 17MB).
• July 2023, Tutorial at GECCO, CMA-ES and Advanced Adaptation Mechanisms (slides 13MB).
• July 2022, Tutorial at GECCO, A (Biased) Introduction to Benchmarking (slides 17MB).
• Mai 2022, Dagstuhl, Seminar on Estimation-of-Distribution Algorithms: Theory and Applications, invited talk on A Gentle Introduction to Information-Geometric Optimization (slides 5.6MB).
• July 2021, Tutorial at GECCO, Benchmarking: state-of-the-art and beyond (slides 12MB).
• July 2021, Tutorial at GECCO, CMA-ES and Advanced Adaptation Mechanisms (slides 6MB).
• November 2020, Leiden, Benchmarked: Optimization meets Machine Learning (2020 Lorentz Center Workshop), Ten+ Years of Benchmarking with COCO/BBOB (slides 3.7MB).
• October 2019, Paris, Journée de Rentrée du CMAP, Ecole polytechnique, How to Evolve Gradient Descent into Evolution Strategies and CMA-ES (slides 3MB).
• September 2019, Delft, Symposium on Evolutionary Algorithms: Back to the Future and Beyond—Traversing the Ever-Evolving Landscape of Evolutionary Algorithms, How to Evolve Gradient Descent into Evolution Strategies and CMA-ES (slides 1.4MB).
• July 2019, Prague, Tutorial at GECCO, CMA-ES and Advanced Adaptation Mechanisms (slides 19MB).
• July 2019, Prague, Tutorial at GECCO, A Practical Guide to Experimentation (and Benchmarking) (slides 11MB, code at Github).
• June 2019, Nice, Keynote lecture at the Workshop on Machine-Learning-Assisted Image Formation: From Gradient-Based to Evolutionary Optimization (slides 8MB).
• July 2018, Kyoto, Tutorial at GECCO, CMA-ES and Advanced Adaptation Mechanisms (slides 19MB).
• July 2018, Kyoto, Tutorial at GECCO, A Practical Guide to Experimentation (and Benchmarking) (slides 10MB, code at Github).
• July 2017, Berlin, July 2017, Berlin, Tutorial at GECCO, A Practical Guide to Benchmarking and Experimentation (slides <1MB, code 2MB).
• July 2017, Berlin, Tutorial at GECCO, Introduction to Randomized Continuous Optimization (slides 11MB).
• July 2017, Berlin, Tutorial at GECCO, CMA-ES and Advanced Adaptation Mechanisms (slides 20MB).
• January 2017, Paris, Journée Scientifique ONERA, Function-Value-Free Second-Order Stochastic Optimization with CMA-ES (slides 10MB).
• July 2016, Denver, Tutorial at GECCO, Introduction to Randomized Continuous Optimization (slides 22MB).
• July 2016, Denver, Tutorial at GECCO, CMA-ES and Advanced Adaptation Mechanisms (slides 24MB).
• July 2015, Madrid, Tutorial at GECCO, Continuous Optimization and CMA-ES (slides 19MB).
• July 2015, Madrid, Tutorial at GECCO, Theory of Evolution Strategies and Related Algorithms (slides 19MB).
• September 2014, Copenhagen, summer school on Information Geometry in Learning and Optimization, Introduction to Information Geometry: Stochastic Optimization.
  1. lecture: Introduction to Optimization in Continuous Search Spaces (slides 3.5MB)
  2. lecture: Information Geometric Optimization (slides 3.5MB)
  3. lecture: Practice Session: Introduction to Python (text file)
  4. lecture: CMA-ES (slides 22MB)
  5. lecture: Practice Session: Optimization using CMA-ES in Python (IPython notebook 1MB, cma.py)
• July 2014, Vancouver, Tutorial at GECCO, Evolution Strategies and CMA-ES (Covariance Matrix Adaptation) (slides 1.8MB).
• July 2013, Amsterdam, Tutorial at GECCO, Evolution Strategies and CMA-ES (Covariance Matrix Adaptation) (slides 1.8MB).
• June 2013, Quiberon, Artificial Evolution Summer School, Performance Evaluation of Anytime Blackbox Optimizers (slides 8MB).
• July 2012, Philadelphia, Tutorial at GECCO, CMA-ES (slides 1.8MB)
• January 2012, LION 6, Tutorial, Addressing Numerical Black-Box Optimization: CMA-ES, (tentative slides 1.8MB)
• November 2011, Microsoft Research Cambridge, Lecture, CMA-ES – a Stochastic Second-Order Method for Function-Value Free Numerical Optimization, (slides 6.5MB)
• July 2011, Dublin, Tutorial at GECCO, CMA-ES (slides 1.6MB)
• May 2011, Toulouse, Atelier Outils et méthodes d'optimisation pour le GNC, Institut Aéronautique et Spatial de CNES, The CMA-ES and its Application to Space Flight Trajectory Optimization together with Dietmar Wolz (slides, first part 5.3MB)
• April 2011, Berlin, International Industrial Convention on Biomimetics, invited talk, Modern Evolution Strategies: Theory and Application
• September 2010, Krakow, Workshop on Self-tuning, self-configuring and self-generating search heuristics (Self* 2010) at PPSN XI, invited talk, Algorithm Design in Evolutionary Computation: Parameter Identification and Control (slides)
• July 2010, Portland, Tutorial at GECCO, Evolution Strategies and Covariance Matrix Adaptation (slides 1.5MB)
• November 2009, INRIA Paris-Rocquencourt, Seminar constraints, The difficulties of black-box optimization and a stochastic variable metric approach (slides, 2.5MB)
• October 2009, Birmingham, tutorial at the workshop for Theory of Randomized Search Heuristics (TRSH), tutorial Theory of randomized search heuristics for continuous optimization
• July 2009, Montreal, Tutorial at GECCO, Evolution Strategies and Covariance Matrix Adaptation (slides 1.1MB)
• April 2009, Université Paris 6, Challenges for stochastic optimization and a variable metric approach (slides 1.7MB)
• September 2008, Dortmund, Tutorial at PPSN, Evolution Strategies and Related Estimation of Distribution Algorithms (slides 1.3MB)
• July 2008, Atlanta, Tutorial at GECCO, Evolution Strategies and Related Estimation of Distribution Algorithms (slides 1.3MB)
• May 2008, Microsoft Research-INRIA Joint Centre, First Search and Biology Day, Dynamic Problem Encoding for Optimization (slides 1.3MB)
• April 2008, Lorentz Center Leiden, Tutorial—Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategy (CMA-ES)
• February 2008, Schloss Dagstuhl - Leibnitz center for informatics, Toward a Convergence Proof for CMA-ES—and Beyond (slides 1.2MB)
• July 2007, University Kiel, Institute of CS, Stochastic Optimization in Continuous Domain: Challenges and Approaches (slides 2.5MB)
• September 2006, Reykjavik, Tutorial at PPSN, The Covariance Matrix Adaptation (CMA) Evolution Strategy (slides 1.7MB)
• February 2006, Schloss Dagstuhl - Leibnitz center for informatics, Step Length on Linear Fitness Functions—Self-Adaptation and Beyond (slides 0.6MB)
• December 2005, University Dortmund FB Statistik, Evolutionary Optimization and the CMA Evolution Strategy
• February 2004, Schloss Dagstuhl - Leibnitz center for informatics, The Covariance Matrix Adaptation (CMA)—Yet Another Estimation of Distribution Algorithm (EDA)?
• February 2000, Schloss Dagstuhl - Leibnitz center for informatics, Keypoints in Strategy Parameter Control