Contents
Andrew Barto
Helping establish the foundations of reinforcement learning.
Adaptive learning research · Reinforcement Learning
- Born
- 1948
- Birthplace
- United States
More people
Andrew Barto
Andrew Barto is an American computer scientist who shared the 2024 Turing Award with Richard Sutton for research on learning through rewards and experience.
Early life
Change of subject
Moved from naval architecture towards mathematics.
Michigan education
Completed mathematics and computer-science degrees at the University of Michigan.
Career
- 1977
UMass Amherst
Joined as a postdoctoral researcher.
- 1991
Professorship
Became a full professor.
- 2007–2011
Department leadership
Chaired the computer-science department.
Contributions
Adaptive learning research
Co-authored early work on learning to balance a pole.
Reinforcement Learning
Wrote an influential textbook with Richard Sutton.
Learning handbook
Co-edited work on learning and approximate dynamic programming.
Beyond the lab
Brain and behaviour
His interest in modelling intelligence grew from reading neuroscience and mathematical accounts of the brain.
Public debate
Has discussed the potential risks of increasingly capable learning systems.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and career ↗Further source ↗Additional context ↗Photo: Andrew G. Barto / UMass Amherst. Source credit; rights retained by the respective holder · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.