Reward Engineering for Spatial Epidemic Simulations: A Reinforcement Learning Platform for Individual Behavioral Learning

Abstract: We present ContagionRL, a Gymnasium-compatible reinforcement learning platform specifically designed for systematic reward engineering in spatial epidemic simulations. Unlike traditional agent-based models that rely on fixed behavioral rules, our platform enables rigorous evaluation of how reward function design affects learned survival strategies across diverse epidemic scenarios. ContagionRL integrates a spatial SIRS+D epidemiological model with configurable environmental parameters, allowing researchers to stress-test reward functions under varying conditions including limited observability, different movement patterns, and heterogeneous population dynamics. We evaluate five distinct reward designs, ranging from sparse survival bonuses to a novel potential field approach, across multiple RL algorithms (PPO, SAC, A2C). Through systematic ablation studies, we identify that directional guidance and explicit adherence incentives are critical components for robust policy learning. Our comprehensive evaluation across varying infection rates, grid sizes, visibility constraints, and movement patterns reveals that reward function choice dramatically impacts agent behavior and survival outcomes. Agents trained with our potential field reward consistently achieve superior performance, learning maximal adherence to non-pharmaceutical interventions while developing sophisticated spatial avoidance strategies. The platform's modular design enables systematic exploration of reward-behavior relationships, addressing a knowledge gap in models of this type where reward engineering has received limited attention. ContagionRL is an effective platform for studying adaptive behavioral responses in epidemic contexts and highlight the importance of reward design, information structure, and environmental predictability in learning.