PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Yves Demazeau

Yves Demazeau is a computer scientist at CNRS in Grenoble who introduced the VOWELS framework for designing multi-agent systems. After a 1986 PhD at Grenoble National Polytechnic Institute, he co-originated the MAAMAW workshop series in 1989 and the CEEMAS series in 1999, and from 1998 to 2002 he served on the IFAAMAS board and co-originated the AgentLink network of excellence. He presided over the French Association for Artificial Intelligence from 2011 to 2020, received an honorary doctorate from the University of Southern Denmark in 2017, and was elected a Fellow of the Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association in 2022. He is a research director at CNRS and an invited professor at the University of Southern Denmark.

Born
1959
Badges

Years link to their sources.

Timeline

  1. 1986

    PhD in computer science

    He earns a PhD in computer science at Grenoble National Polytechnic Institute in 1986.

  2. 1989–1999

    MAAMAW and CEEMAS workshops

    He co-originates the MAAMAW workshop series in 1989 and the CEEMAS workshop series in 1999. He also cofounds the ICMAS conference series.

  3. 1990s

    The VOWELS framework

    In the 1990s, he introduces the VOWELS paradigm, which designs a multi-agent system around four components: Agent, Environment, Interaction and Organisation. VOWELS is one of the first methodological proposals for developing multiagent systems. His other main contributions are the interaction protocols for agent communication languages adopted by FIPA and the concept of organisations as a ground component of multi-agent systems.

  4. 1998–2002

    AgentLink and the IFAAMAS board

    From 1998 to 2002, he sits on the board of IFAAMAS, the International Foundation on Multi-Agent Systems, and serves as co-originator and research coordinator of AgentLink, the European Network of Excellence in agent-based computing.

  5. 2001–2002

    HDR and Southern Denmark post

    He receives his HDR from Grenoble National Polytechnic Institute in 2001. In 2002, he becomes an external professor at the Faculty of Science and Engineering of the University of Southern Denmark.

  6. 2009–2021

    Leading AFIA and PAAMS

    He orchestrates the PAAMS conference series from 2009 to 2020 and serves as president of the French Association for Artificial Intelligence (AFIA) from 2011 to 2020. He also orchestrates the Plates-Formes Intelligence Artificielle (PFIA) events from 2013 to 2021 and is editor-in-chief of the French AI journal RIA from 2010 to 2018.

  7. 2017–2022

    Honorary doctorate and fellowships

    The University of Southern Denmark awards him an honorary doctorate in October 2017. In 2022, the Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association elects him a Fellow. He is also a EurAI Fellow.

  8. As of October 2026

    Research director at CNRS

    He is a research director at CNRS in the Laboratoire d'Informatique de Grenoble and an invited professor at the University of Southern Denmark. In 2026, he coauthors a paper on decentralized multi-agent systems in Artificial Life and Robotics with Dhamdhawach Horsuwan and Poramate Manoonpong.

Career

  1. Since 2002University of Southern DenmarkExternal Professor
  2. NowCNRSResearch Director
  3. 2011–2020French Association for Artificial IntelligencePresident
  4. 1998–2002International Foundation on Multi-Agent SystemsBoard Member

Education

  1. 2001Institut polytechnique de GrenobleHDR
  2. 1986Institut polytechnique de GrenoblePhD

From the biography.

  1. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974Includes CNRS. We estimate where the people shaping AI worked when their most-cited papers appeared: the company share was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974, and Google led all organizations in 2020–2024.
  2. Universities keep AI researchers for a median of 6 years, compared with 2 years at frontier labsIncludes CNRS. Across 15,811 dated work stays (6,529 people), median role tenure runs from 6 years at universities to 2 years at frontier labs. We compare all five organization types, starting decades from the 1970s to the 2020s, and the organizations that keep people longest.
  3. People shaping AI work at a median of 3 organizations over a career: 3 for university starters and institute and lab starters, versus 2 for company startersIncludes CNRS. Across 6,853 people shaping AI with a dated work role, we estimate a median of 3 parent organizations over a career (mean 3.6), comparing role groups, starting sectors and starting decades from the 1950s to 2020–2026.
  4. The top 10 organizations employed 22% of people shaping AI in 2025: 51% of company researchers and 21% of university researchersIncludes CNRS. We estimate the share of people shaping AI who worked at the top 10 organizations each year from 1955 to 2025, comparing concentration across companies, universities, and institutes and labs.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

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  1. Yves Demazeau's Home Page lig-membres.imag.fr. Checked 20 October 2026.
  2. Palestra sobre Sistemas Multiagentes - Instituto de Informática - UFRGS inf.ufrgs.br. Checked 20 October 2026.
  3. Yves Demazeau, one of the world’s leading experts in artificial intelligence, works with BISITE | Grupo de investigación BISITE | University of Salamanca bisite.usal.es. Checked 20 October 2026.
  4. CV HAL - Yves Demazeau cv.hal.science. Checked 20 October 2026.
  5. Yves Demazeau | LIG - Université Grenoble Alpes liglab.fr. Checked 20 October 2026.
  6. Honorary Doctorates sdu.dk. Checked 20 October 2026.
  7. Highlights - Archives | LIG - Laboratoire d'Informatique de Grenoble 2007-2020.liglab.fr. Checked 20 October 2026.
  8. Awards | European Association for Artificial Intelligence eurai.org. Checked 20 October 2026.