Max Foreback
I'm a PhD student at Michigan State University, pursuing a dual PhD in Computer Science and Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, advised by Emily Dolson. My main focus these days is Nebulous, where I'm the primary software developer and dev-team lead, evolving real spacecraft and instrument hardware. Evolutionary swarm robotics is where I started, and is now past work, below.
Current work
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A satellite optimized for atmospheric drag in very low Earth orbit.
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The Nebulous Collaboration
Nebulous is a multi-institution research collaboration (NASA JPL, Michigan State, Ohio State, CU Boulder, and others), led by Dr. Julie Rolla (PI, NASA JPL), using evolutionary algorithms, AI, and physics-based simulation to design next-generation science hardware — antennas, spacecraft, and deployable structures that are high-performing, buildable, and mission-relevant.
My role: Lead Software Developer, building and directing the small dev team behind ECLIPSE, the evolutionary computation framework the collaboration runs on.
Active sub-projects include SOAR (spacecraft aerodynamics in very low Earth orbit), FACET (antenna geometry optimization), LEO (antenna arrays), and ORIGAMI (deployable structures).
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An antenna optimized to match a specific gain pattern.
Drag to inspect design.
Past work
Evolutionary swarm robotics
Studied how substrate and selection scheme shape the evolution of swarms — Markov Brains, Cartesian Genetic Programming, and neural networks as interchangeable (and mixable) swarm controllers, evolved with MABE.
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The ecology–evolution continuum
With Emily Dolson, Sydney Leither, and the Baum lab, modeled pre-genetic adaptive change — computational systems representative of early interactions between pre-biotic chemicals.
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