Researcher
Designing large-scale multi-agent simulation systems with rigorous, measurable outcomes.
PhD researcher · UT Dallas · Multi-agent systems
GaelOngoriko
I build worlds where thousands of AI agents perceive, decide, and cooperate — from adaptive smart-city mobility and traffic control to power-grid resilience and autonomous logistics coordination.
Live multi-agent simulation — my research, running in your browser
1000sAgents per simulation
400+Students mentored
15+Projects built
6Awards & honors
Watch it work — keep scrolling
First, my agents perceive
Every agent first reads the environment: constraints, hazards, and state transitions that shape what actions are possible.
Then they decide
Weighing options under uncertainty, each agent plans the best action — no central controller required.
They act autonomously
Decisions become movement. Thousands of agents execute simultaneously in real-time simulation.
And cooperate at scale
An incident closes the busiest avenue. The alert spreads agent to agent from the scene — and informed agents reroute before they ever reach the barrier. No central controller.
Researcher,
Builder, Innovator
I am a PhD student in Computer Science at the University of Texas at Dallas, working under Dr. Rym Zalila-Wenkstern at the Multi-Agent and Visualization Systems Lab. My research focuses on designing and building large-scale multi-agent simulation systems.
Before joining UTD, I founded Nyota Innovations, built AI-powered educational platforms used across East Africa, and won first place in a global AI startup competition. I bring an unusual combination of research depth and real-world engineering experience.
My work sits at the intersection of intelligent systems, interactive computing, and real-world deployment, from disaster-response logistics to critical infrastructure coordination at scale.
Builder
Shipping real products across education and AI, from virtual labs to autonomous planning tools.
Innovator
Turning research into impact through startup execution, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and deployment.
Research interests
Affiliation
Advisor
Contact
Current work
01
Large-Scale Multi-Agent Simulation Systems
Designing simulation architectures capable of running thousands of concurrent autonomous agents in real-time environments. Investigating coordination protocols, emergent behavior patterns, and scalable communication frameworks for virtual agent populations. Advised by Dr. Rym Zalila-Wenkstern at the MAVS Lab, UT Dallas.
02
Agent Decision-Making in Dynamic Environments
Exploring how agents perceive, reason, and adapt in environments that change in real time. This research examines planning algorithms, reinforcement learning strategies, and knowledge representation frameworks that enable agents to make robust decisions under uncertainty.
03
Applications: Emergency Response & Infrastructure Resilience
Applying multi-agent systems to high-impact, time-critical domains: emergency dispatch coordination, hospital intake balancing, outage recovery logistics, and distributed resource allocation under uncertainty. The same agentic coordination principles scale to transportation, but the broader goal is resilient, real-time decision support for complex systems.
Publications & writing
First paper on large-scale multi-agent simulation — title forthcoming
Target venue to be announced
The first publication from my PhD work at the MAVS Lab; details will appear here as the work matures.
Professional journey
Spring 2026 – Present
PhD Researcher, Multi-Agent Systems
University of Texas at Dallas · MAVS Lab
Conducting research on large-scale multi-agent simulation under Dr. Rym Zalila-Wenkstern. Building simulation frameworks for intelligent agent coordination in complex environments.
2024 – Present
CEO & Founder
Nyota Innovations · Kampala, Uganda
Founded and lead a technology company building AI-powered and VR-based educational platforms. Flagship product: Intelligent Virtual Labs, delivering immersive STEM education to schools without physical laboratories. Also developed Nyota Fusion AI, an AI-powered CRM platform.
2024 – 2025
Full-Stack AI Engineer
International University of East Africa
Built an AI-powered Smart Task Manager that autonomously manages semester calendars, tracks performance, and generates departmental reports. Integrated NLP and machine learning to optimize academic administration workflows.
2022 – 2024
Freelance AI & VR Developer
BORA · Uganda
Built a VR Immune Response Simulator for medical education, an AI-powered physics density lab, and a solar system VR exploration application. Deployed across educational institutions to enhance science teaching.
Recognized excellence
$75,000
GAIME Startup Battlefield Winner 2025
Won first place in a global AI startup competition for innovation in AI-powered educational technology.
$10,000
AI Innovation Award
Won for outstanding contributions to AI technology in education across East Africa.
$1,500
First in Legal Technology, Uganda
Won the first-ever legal technology award in Uganda for the LegalFinder app.
$800
Google Solution Challenge
Won at Innovation Village, Kampala with the TasteTrail application.
Pioneer award
VR Technology Pioneer Award
Won for pioneering VR applications in education and professional training.
Top of class · 4.5/5 GPA
BSc Computer Science
Graduated top of class from the International University of East Africa.
Tools & technologies
Core research stack
- Python
- PyTorch
- Reinforcement learning (Gymnasium, Stable-Baselines3)
- MASON / NetLogo
- SUMO / CARLA
- Java
- C / C++
- LaTeX
Engineering & deployment
- TypeScript / React / Next.js
- FastAPI
- Node.js
- Docker / Kubernetes
- AWS / Google Cloud
- Unity
- Git / GitHub Actions
- Linux / Bash
Plus working experience across 30+ more languages, frameworks, and tools.
ContactLet's design the
Let's design the
next intelligent system
I collaborate on multi-agent simulation research, AI systems engineering, and deployment-focused prototypes — open to research partnerships, internships, and technical advising.
Ongoriko.Gael@Dallas, Texas · UTC−6 · MAVS Lab, UT Dallas