The Summer School on "Individual- and Agent-based Modeling" provides an overview over the state-of-the art in individual- and agent-based modeling, model development, implementation, parameterization, and sensitivity analysis. Further topics are the handling of uncertainties in data, the design of simulation experiments and the statistical analyses of their results.

The class is intended primarily for PhD students of relevant subject areas (e.g., ecology, biology, forest ecology, environmental sciences, physics, systems analysis, social sciences etc.) strongly interested in the development and application of IBMs/ABMs in the frame of their study and those who look for an effective strategy for analyzing running models and conducting simulation experiments.

The software platform „NetLogo“ will be used in combination with the “R” software for statistical analyses. Basic knowledge of both Netlogo and R is required. Material introducing NetLogo and R will be provided before the course.

The lecturers are Prof. Dr. Uta Berger (TUD), PD Dr. Volker Grimm (UFZ), Dr. Cyril Piou (CIRAD, France). All of them are ecologists, so most of their example models will be from ecology. Scholars from other disciplines are also welcome. The course consists in lectures, exercises, and extensive modeling projects to be presented in groups at the end of the course.