Civil and Environmental Engineering

Applications for 2025-2026 open 1 July 2025.

Integration of Large-language models in agent-based models

Project code: ENG035

Supervisor(s):

Dr Minh Kieu

Hyesop Shin

Discipline(s): 

Civil and Environmental Engineering

School of Geography

 

Project  

Students will work on designing and implementing simple ABM scenarios where selected agents are driven or assisted by LLMs. Potential applications include disaster response, transportation systems, or social simulations.

Tasks

Tasks may include setting up communication protocols between ABM platforms (e.g. Mesa or NetLogo) and LLMs via APIs, crafting prompt-based behaviour scripts, and evaluating the performance or plausibility of LLM-driven agents compared to rule-based agents.

Skills Required

  • Basic programming skills (preferably Python)
  • Familiarity with agent-based modelling concepts
  • Comfort with using AI tools like ChatGPT for collaborative coding and debugging

Prerequisites

  • Introductory knowledge of Python
  • Interest in simulation, AI, or computational social science

Timing

  • Duration: 3 months (full-time or part-time options possible)
  • Ideal for summer research or internship projects (November–February in the Southern Hemisphere)

Ideal student

The project is well suited for students with interdisciplinary interests in computer science, artificial intelligence, and the social sciences.