Evolutionary computation (EC) is considered to be a natural and artificial system with discrete dynamics. Over the last few decades, there has been a remarkable growth in the field of EC, encompassing large interest and efforts from researchers. EC has been successfully applied to various real-world problems for optimization purposes. The aim of this special issue is to publish original and high-quality articles as well as review articles related to discrete dynamics in EC and its applications. Researchers can be involved in dynamics studies showing how an evolutionary search system might develop or change over time and study the causes of these changes. Potential papers could also establish some fundamental laws, which govern discrete dynamics in EC. Studies about search space analysis for EC’s dynamics are also encouraged.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Genetic algorithm
• Genetic programming
• Differential evolution
• Theoretical or geometric aspects of search space and fitness landscape
• Computational intelligence
• Machine learning
• Surrogate modeling
• Financial engineering
• Business analytics
• Business applications
• Data mining/Web mining
• Forecasting
• Operations research
• Combinatorial optimization
• Energy and smart grid