Jim O'Connor

Connecticut College · United States

Unclaimed · AI-structured profileORCID OpenAlex

Evolutionary robotics & game-AI researcher at Connecticut College — decentralized gaits, competitive co-evolution

papers here

reviewed by Evolve

first-author

corresponding

—

works · OpenAlex

h-index · OpenAlex

Bibliometric figures come from OpenAlex (2026-10-15) and cover the author's entire public record, not just the papers listed here. Reproducibility signal comes from Evolve's own reviews.

Research profile

Output—

Not yet scored: the underlying productivity data is insufficient. This axis would measure publication volume and trajectory — total works, annual counts, and authorship positions — but the current record is too sparse to score reliably.

Impact—

Not yet scored: citation-based impact data is insufficient. This axis would measure citation influence — h-index, i10-index, citation counts and their distribution over time — which cannot be estimated from the current record.

Focus0/100

The focus dimension scores 0/100, reflecting breadth rather than concentration: the field distribution splits evenly at 0.5 evolutionary computation (game AI / multi-agent systems) and 0.5 evolutionary robotics, and OpenAlex topics spread across five clusters led by Evolutionary Algorithms and Applications (19), Artificial Intelligence in Games (13) and Reinforcement Learning in Robotics (10). Work spans simulated legged locomotion and competitive game agents under one evolutionary-computation umbrella.

Collaboration22/100

Collaboration scores 22/100, based on only 2 distinct co-authors in the raw metric, with Gary B. Parker and John Asaro as frequent collaborators. In the two reviewed 2026 papers O'Connor holds non-corresponding positions — last author on the hexapod gait paper and middle author on 'Niching Agents in The Core' — indicating contributions within small teams rather than corresponding-author leadership. Both works are co-authored, consistent with a compact, stable collaboration circle.

Activity90/100

Activity scores 90/100, the strongest axis: 21 works in the last three years, with annual counts rising from 1 (2024) to 6 (2025) and 14 (2026). Both catalog papers appeared in 2026 as arXiv preprints reviewed by Evolve. A single 2011 entry (1 work) suggests a sparse earlier record, but the current trajectory shows sustained, accelerating output concentrated in evolutionary computation and robotics topics.

Reproducibility38/100

Reproducibility scores 38/100, computed from the 2 papers reviewed by Evolve (reproMean 38). The hexapod gait paper is rated medium readiness, specifying a Webots setup with independent per-leg controllers, while 'Niching Agents in The Core' is rated low, with figure-only results. Evolve flags shared gaps in both: no statistical significance tests and no external baselines, and the hexapod study also lacks a centralized-GA baseline.

Research summary

Jim O'Connor is a researcher at Connecticut College (US) working at the intersection of evolutionary robotics and evolutionary computation for games and multi-agent systems. The OpenAlex-derived topic profile is led by Evolutionary Algorithms and Applications (19 works), Artificial Intelligence in Games (13) and Reinforcement Learning in Robotics (10), with smaller clusters in robotic locomotion and control and in modular robots and swarm intelligence; the field distribution splits evenly (0.5/0.5) between evolutionary computation (game AI / multi-agent systems) and evolutionary robotics. Recent activity is high: 21 works in the last three years, with recorded outputs rising from 1 (2024) to 6 (2025) and 14 (2026). Two catalog papers reviewed by Evolve illustrate the agenda: Decentralized Evolution of Hexapod Gaits with Independent Leg Controllers (2026), which evolves each hexapod leg's controller independently in Webots, and Niching Agents in The Core (2026), which tests quadrant-niched agents against globally niched rivals in Xpilot. Evolve's verdicts flag a consistent weakness — claimed gains without statistical tests or external baselines — and reproducibility readiness is rated medium and low respectively (mean 38 across 2 papers). The citation footprint is thin (h-index 1, i10-index 0), so output and impact axes remain unscored. Frequent co-authors are Gary B. Parker and John Asaro.

Collaboration pattern

Collaboration is compact: the raw metric lists 2 distinct co-authors, with Gary B. Parker and John Asaro as frequent collaborators (collaboration score 22/100). In both reviewed 2026 papers O'Connor is neither first nor corresponding author — last author on the hexapod gait study and a middle author on 'Niching Agents in The Core' — consistent with contributing inside a small, stable team led by others rather than running independent collaborations.

Research keywords

Evolutionary roboticsEvolutionary computationGenetic algorithmCooperative coevolutionCompetitive co-evolutionNichingHexapod locomotionCentral pattern generatorDecentralized controlGame AIMulti-agent systemsReinforcement learning in robotics

Highlights

Decentralized per-leg evolution of hexapod gaits in Webots
This 2026 arXiv paper (last-author position) evolves each hexapod leg's controller independently in the Webots simulator. Evolve rates its reproducibility readiness as medium, but notes that the claimed gains over cooperative coevolution lack statistical tests and a centralized-GA baseline.
Quadrant-niched competitive agents in The Core
This 2026 arXiv paper (middle-author position) claims that quadrant-niched Core agents beat globally niched rivals in Xpilot, combining competitive co-evolution with a cyclic genetic algorithm. Evolve finds the mechanism interesting but rates reproducibility low: figure-only results, no statistics, no external baselines.
Sharp output acceleration across 2025–2026
Recorded works in the OpenAlex counts-by-year series rose from 1 (2024) to 6 (2025) and 14 (2026), with 21 works over the last three years — an activity score of 90/100 — concentrated in evolutionary algorithms, game AI and robot learning topics.

Timeline

2011Earliest recorded output in the OpenAlex counts-by-year series (1 work), predating the current publication phase by more than a decade.
20241 recorded work; the current publication phase begins.
20256 recorded works, a step change in annual output.
202614 recorded works, including two Evolve-reviewed arXiv papers: decentralized hexapod gait evolution and 'Niching Agents in The Core'.

Papers in the Evolve catalog

2026-09-11
Decentralized Evolution of Hexapod Gaits with Independent Leg Controllers
2026-09-11
Niching Agents in The Core

Frequent co-authors

Gary B. Parker×2 John Asaro×2

About this profile

This profile is AI-structured by Evolve.Pub from public bibliographic data (OpenAlex) and Evolve's own paper reviews. It is not written or endorsed by the researcher unless the profile is claimed. Radar dimensions are computed from real bibliometrics with fixed formulas — raw figures are shown alongside; missing dimensions mean insufficient data, never zero. Errors? Claim the profile to correct or hide it.

Bibliometric scores are computed from OpenAlex data only; the output and impact dimensions are unscored because citation coverage is insufficient (h-index 1, i10-index 0).
Only two papers by this author have been reviewed in the Evolve catalog; the reproducibility score (mean 38) rests on those two papers alone.
'Jim O'Connor' is a fairly common name; this profile is name-resolved from public bibliographic data (OpenAlex, identity field 'openalex') together with ORCID 0009-0008-9917-5682.
The 2011 entry in the counts-by-year series suggests sparse earlier coverage; the work record before 2024 may be incomplete.