Uri Wilensky
Uri Wilensky is an American computer scientist and creator of the agent-based modeling platform NetLogo. He is the Lorraine H. Morton Professor of Learning Sciences, Computer Science and Complex Systems at Northwestern University where he directs the Center for Connected Learning and Computer-Based Modeling. He also co-founded the Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems, and co-founded and co-directs the joint Computer Science + Learning Sciences PhD program.
Education
Wilensky received a B.A. in Mathematics and Philosophy and an M.A. in mathematics from Brandeis University, an M.A. in mathematics from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in Media Arts and Sciences from the MIT Media Lab.Career
Wilensky has worked in the fields of computer science and learning sciences, specializing in agent-based modeling and complex systems education. Wilensky originally developed NetLogo in 1999.His work on the theory of "restructurations" explores how representing knowledge in computational media changes how we think and learn, particularly in the domain of complex systems. He argues that, in general, well-designed representations can make difficult concepts accessible. In the case of NetLogo, students can make sense of complex systems by building and exploring agent-based models in which "agents" are programmed to follow simple behaviors from which large-scale patterns emerge.
Awards
In 2016, Wilensky won the International Society for Design and Development in Education Prize for Excellence in Educational Design.Wilensky was elected to the National Academy of Education in 2022 and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2024.
Wilensky was awarded the 2025 Yidan Prize for Education Research.