Automated Heuristic Design

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Automated heuristic design studies how to create efficient rules that guide search and decision-making in problems such as vehicle routing, job scheduling, classical planning, and hardware design. Common approaches use genetic programming, evolutionary search, learned policies, or large language models to generate and refine executable heuristics using solver or simulator feedback. Current work increasingly combines these methods with memory, diverse heuristic portfolios, instance specialization, and transfer across tasks, while evaluating solution quality, runtime, and performance on held-out cases. A central challenge is balancing flexible search with reliable generalization, affordable evaluation, and guarantees such as execution safety or admissibility.

Latest papers

84 papers15 papers in the last four weeks, up 200% on the four weeks before. 0.1% of all new papers.

Beyond Average Performance: Dynamic Instance Clustering and Specialized Algorithm Design in LLM-Assisted Evolutionary Search
Aug 4, 2026Qinglong Hu, Qingfu Zhang, Fei Liu +3Algorithm Selection Automated Algorithm Discovery
Department of Computer Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China · Huawei Noah’s Ark Lab, China
Neuro-Evolved Heuristics for Variable Gapped Common Subsequence Identification
Aug 1, 2026Marko Djukanović, Christian Blum, Aleksandar Kartelj +2Automated Heuristic Design Neural Combinatorial Optimization
University of Nova Gorica, Nova Gorica, Slovenia · Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (IIIA-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain · Faculty of Mathematics, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia +2
DGA $_2$ D: Directed Graph-Guided Automated Algorithm Design with Large Language Models
Aug 1, 2026Jiale Zhao, Zimu Chen, Sirui Mao +3Automated Algorithm Discovery Automated Heuristic Design
School of Automation Science and Electrical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China · School of Computer Science and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China
MOSAIC: Adversarial Co-evolution of Specialist Heuristics and Problem Instances for LLM-based Automated Heuristic Design
Jul 31, 2026Oguzhan Gungordu, Siheng Xiong, Faramarz FekriAlgorithm Selection Automated Heuristic Design
Georgia Institute of Technology
LLM-Guided Evolutionary Search for Constraint Model Reformulation to Improve Solver Efficiency
Jul 30, 2026Kostis Michailidis, Dimos Tsouros, Nguyen Dang +1Automated Heuristic Design Evolutionary Optimization
1DTAI, KU Leuven, Belgium · University of Western Macedonia, Greece · University of St Andrews, United Kingdom
AutoPSO: A Meta-framework for Automated Particle Swarm Optimization
Jul 29, 2026Xinmeng Yu, Jiaxin Gao, Jianguo Zhang +2Automated Algorithm Discovery Automated Heuristic Design
Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China · Pengcheng Laboratory, Shenzhen 518000, China · Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China +2
SpecAHD: Localize to Specialize for Automated Heuristic Design in Large-Scale Routing Problems
Jul 26, 2026Kezhao Lai, Yutao Lai, Hai-Lin LiuAutomated Heuristic Design Large Language Model-Guided Optimization
School of Mathematics and Statistics, Guangdong University of Technology, China
On the Runtime Analysis of Reinforcement Learning Hyper-Heuristics
Jul 24, 2026Pietro S. Oliveto, Zhenyu Wang, Peizhou Wu +1Reinforcement Learning Automated Heuristic Design
Southern University of Science and Technology, 518055 Shenzhen, China
AlphaRoute: Large Language Models as Semantic Optimizers for Multi-Objective Routing
Jul 22, 2026Kabir Murjani, Mishri Bhavsar, Manish I. Patel +1Automated Heuristic Design Large Language Model-Guided Optimization
Department of Electrical Engineering, Institute of Technology, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, India · Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Institute of Technology, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, India · Center for Semiconductor Microelectronics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
Automated Discovery Has No Universally Superior Harness
Jul 20, 2026Akshat Gupta, Jermaine Lei, Alexander Lu +2Automated Algorithm Discovery Automated Heuristic Design
UC Berkeley · MIT, MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab
CoEvoP&R: Co-Evolving Placement Objectives with Routing Feedback via Large Language Models
Jul 19, 2026Ruogu Chen, Weihua Xiao, Ramesh Karri +1Automated Heuristic Design Large Language Model-Guided Optimization
University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta, Canada · New York University New York, New York, United States
How to Guide LLM Generation: Dual-Surrogate Guided Search for Automated Heuristic Design
Jul 15, 2026Yuhan Wang, Chaoda Peng, Xingyu Wu +2Surrogate-Assisted Optimization Automated Heuristic Design
College of Mathematics and Informatics, South China Agricultural University · Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University · College of Artificial Intelligence, Nankai University
RefineEvo: Planning-Guided Heuristic Evolution with Bidirectional Experience
Jul 13, 2026Yang Wu, Junran Pan, Yifan Zhang +3Automated Heuristic Design Evolutionary Optimization
C2DL, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences · School of Artificial Intelligence, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing · University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing +1
QDEvo: A Multi-Objective Quality-Diversity Framework for Automated Heuristic Design
Jul 6, 2026Nam Do Khanh, Nhat Nguyen Tran Minh, Dat Pham Vu Tuan +2Automated Algorithm Discovery Automated Heuristic Design
Hanoi University of Science and Technology Hanoi, Vietnam · George Mason University Fairfax, Virginia, USA
RAISE: LLM-based Automated Heuristic Design with Robust Adversary Instance Search
Jun 30, 2026Fei Liu, Alessio Figalli, Patrick Owen +1Distribution Shift Robustness Automated Algorithm Discovery
University of Zurich · 2ETH Zurich
MeEvo: Metacognitive Evolution Combined with Natural Evolution for Automatic Heuristic Design
Jun 12, 2026Zishang Qiu, Xinan Chen, Rong Qu +1Automated Heuristic Design Evolutionary Optimization
School of Computer Science, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo, China · School of Computer Science, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
Learning Splitting Heuristics for Parallel String Solvers
Jun 9, 2026Chenhao Gao, Peisen YaoAutomated Algorithm Discovery Automated Heuristic Design
The State Key Laboratory of Blockchain and Data Security, Zhejiang University Hangzhou, China
Learning Admissible Heuristics via Cost Partitioning
Jun 3, 2026Hugo Barral, Quentin Cappart, Marie-José Huguet +1Automated Heuristic Design Learning to Optimize
LAAS-CNRS, Universit´e de Toulouse, CNRS, INSA, Toulouse, France · Polytechnique Montr´eal, Montr´eal, Canada · UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium +1
LLM-Evolved Pattern Generators for Optimal Classical Planning
Jun 1, 2026Windy Phung, Dominik Drexler, Arnaud Lequen +1Automated Heuristic Design Symbolic Planning
Linköping University, Sweden
LLM-Driven Co-Evolutionary Automated Heuristic Design for Bi-Component Coupled Combinatorial Optimization
May 30, 2026Mingen Kuang, Xudong Deng, Xi Lin +3Automated Heuristic Design Evolutionary Optimization
Xi’an Jiao Tong University · Northwestern Polytechnical University
LLM-Evolved Domain-Independent Heuristics for Symbolic AI Planning
May 28, 2026Elliot Gestrin, Jendrik SeippAutomated Heuristic Design Symbolic Planning
Linköping University, Sweden
Latent Heuristic Search: Continuous Optimization for Automated Algorithm Design
May 16, 2026Cheikh Ahmed, Mahdi Mostajabdaveh, Zirui ZhouSurrogate-Assisted Optimization Automated Algorithm Discovery
Huawei Technologies Canada, Burnaby, Canada
Teacher-Aware Evolution of Heuristic Programs from Learned Optimization Policies
May 11, 2026Minyu Chen, Song Qin, Ling-I Wu +2Automated Heuristic Design Evolutionary Optimization
Shenzhen Technology University · Shanghai Polytechnic University · Shanghai Jiao Tong University
AHD Agent: Agentic Reinforcement Learning for Automatic Heuristic Design
May 9, 2026Haoze Lv, Ning Lu, Ziang Zhou +1Agentic RL Automated Heuristic Design
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain-Inspired Intelligent Computation, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology · Zhongguancun Academy · The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
HMACE: Heterogeneous Multi-Agent Collaborative Evolution for Combinatorial Optimization
May 8, 2026Yuping Yan, Jirui Han, Fei Ming +2Multi-Agent LLM Systems Multi-Agent System Optimization
School of Engineering Westlake University
CoupleEvo: Evolving Heuristics for Coupled Optimization Problems Using Large Language Models
May 7, 2026Thomas Bömer, Bastian Amberg, Max Disselnmeyer +1Automated Heuristic Design Evolutionary Optimization
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Karlsruhe, Germany
Back to the Beginning of Heuristic Design: Bridging Code and Knowledge with LLMs
May 7, 2026Nguyen Viet Tuan Kiet, Bui Dinh Pham, Dao Van Tung +2Automated Heuristic Design Large Language Model-Guided Optimization
Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam · University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
A2DEPT: Large Language Model-Driven Automated Algorithm Design via Evolutionary Program Trees
Apr 27, 2026Bin Chen, Shouliang Zhu, Beidan Liu +4Automated Algorithm Discovery Automated Heuristic Design
The Institute of Intelligent Computing, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China · College of Systems Engineering, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, China · Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100071, China
BEAM: Bi-level Memory-adaptive Algorithmic Evolution for LLM-Powered Heuristic Design
Apr 14, 2026Chuyang Xiang, Yichen Wei, Jiale Ma +2Automated Heuristic Design Large Language Model-Guided Optimization
PyVRP $^+$ : LLM-Driven Metacognitive Heuristic Evolution for Hybrid Genetic Search in Vehicle Routing Problems
Apr 9, 2026Manuj Malik, Jianan Zhou, Shashank Reddy Chirra +1Automated Heuristic Design Large Language Model-Guided Optimization
Singapore Management University Singapore, Singapore · Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Singapore · University of Oxford Oxford, England

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Beyond Average Performance: Dynamic Instance Clustering and Specialized Algorithm Design in LLM-Assisted Evolutionary Search

Qinglong Hu, Qingfu Zhang, Fei Liu, Xialiang Tong+2

Department of Computer Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China · Huawei Noah’s Ark Lab, China

Algorithm Selection Automated Algorithm Discovery Automated Heuristic Design Clustering Large Language Model-Guided Optimization

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Large Language Model-assisted Evolutionary Search (LES) has emerged as a powerful paradigm for automated algorithm design. However, existing LES methods primarily optimize for average performance, inherently directing search effort toward instances that contribute most to this metric while leaving others poorly served, resulting in weak tail robustness and limited real-world reliability. To address this limitation, we propose Dynamic Instance Clustering and Specialized Algorithm Design (DyCA), an LES framework with a feature-free, structure-aware mechanism for constructing reliable algorithm portfolios under heterogeneous instance distributions. DyCA treats instance clustering as a co-evolving component within the search process, reusing accumulated evaluation data as feature-free signals to progressively partition instances with similar algorithmic response patterns. The uncovered clusters decompose the mixed objective into a set of structure-aware sub-objectives, thereby enabling finer-grained and more adaptive guidance for specialized algorithm design. Experimental results across four algorithm design tasks with heterogeneous instances demonstrate that DyCA outperforms state-of-the-art LES baselines, improving tail robustness by an average of 15.2% and overall performance by 7.1% while maintaining competitive head performance.