A hybrid fuzzy evolutionary algorithm for a multi-objective resource allocation problem

In this paper a hybrid fuzzy evolutionary algorithm for a multi-objective resource allocation problem, the student project allocation (SPA) problem, is presented. Student project allocation must satisfy a number of soft objectives stemming from multiple points of view. The proposed algorithm employs a fuzzy inference system to model and aggregate the objectives, assuming the role of the fitness function in the evolutionary algorithm. The fuzzy system captures preferences of the decision maker in the compromise between various objectives, thereby guiding the search to interesting regions in the objective space. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of this hybrid approach for a large data set.