Automated Planning: Theory and Practice

Malik Ghallab is Director of Research at the Laboratoire d'Analyse et d'Architecture des Systèmes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, LAAS-CNRS, Toulouse. He was the director of the French national AI program, coordinated the five national research programs in information science, and served as the chair of ASTI, the French technical society in information sciences and technologies. Currently, he is also the director of the French national interdisciplinary program on robotics and artificial entities (Robea). Dana Nau is a professor at the University of Maryland, and an AAAI Fellow. His research interests include AI planning and searching, and computer-integrated design and manufacturing. He holds appointments in the Department of Computer Science, the Institute for Systems Research, the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, and the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He has more than 250 technical publications, and has co-authored computer programs that won the 1997 world championship of computer bridge and one of the top four awards in the 2002 International Planning Competition. Other awards he has received include an NSF graduate fellowship, an NSF Presidential Young Investigator award, an Outstanding Faculty award, and several "best paper” awards. Paolo Traverso is the Head of Sistemi di Ragionamento Automatico at the Instituto Trentino di Cultura - Instituto per la Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica, (ITC-IRST). He was the project leader of industrial and experimental projects such as the development of Rail Traffic Management Systems, the design of tools for Automatic Train Protection, the synthesis of industrial controllers, and the development of systems for planning and control in space environment.