Michael Simkin.
Independent researcher.
I’m Michael Simkin, an independent researcher based in Tbilisi, Georgia. Research is both my profession and my hobby; my focus shifts over time.
My research
I’m self-taught. Research is both my professional work and a hobby, and my interests have changed over time.
In my youth, I represented Israel at the 1999 International Mathematical Olympiad and won a bronze medal. Since then, I’ve worked in several startups on different ideas.
I worked in computational geometry before moving into computer vision and AI research. More recently, I’ve worked freelance with several startups on medical research. My main Conway’s Game of Life research phase was from 2014 to 2019, alongside that work. Lately, I’ve been exploring AI-assisted mathematical proofs.
Conway’s Game of Life and other cellular automata
My interest in Life began with an article about Andrew Wade’s original Gemini. One of my first results was Serizawa Geminoid, a smaller, more efficient construction in another rule. I later built Geminoid Particles, then used the same construction technique years later in Remini.
This journal includes the Simkin Glider Gun, Caterloopillar, Remini, and switch-engine ping-pong. The articles document the constructions and their attribution, including shared contributions.
Follow this work through the Conway’s Game of Life and CA Research interest pages.
Building the tools to ask a question
Curiosity is a starting point. Experimentation and engineering are how I turn an idea into something I can test and develop.
For the glider-gun search, I wanted a simple approach: place a few potential catalysts and search the combinations. Making that practical meant first building the infrastructure, LifeAPI and CatForce.
Each article identifies its status—from an experiment to a demonstrated construction or research preprint—and links to the public material behind it.
Science fiction
I also write science fiction. My book, Echos of Tomorrow, brings together seven connected stories about digital minds, identity, and rights. For years, science fiction has been my favourite genre. I’m interested in the individual’s relationship with society and technology, and the assumptions that shape our everyday lives.
Explore the work
Start with an interest, or browse the recent articles. The categories are different ways into the same collection.
Contact
Contact me by email. My public code and project documentation are on GitHub.