diff --git a/src/algorithms/mod.rs b/src/algorithms/mod.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..373701c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/algorithms/mod.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+//! Built-in reference optimizers.
+
+pub mod random_search;
+
+pub use random_search::*;
diff --git a/src/algorithms/random_search.rs b/src/algorithms/random_search.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0b07627
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/algorithms/random_search.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+//! Baseline `RandomSearch` optimizer.
+//!
+//! This is the reference example for spec §2.4 / §12.1: read this file before
+//! writing your own optimizer.
+
+use crate::core::candidate::Candidate;
+use crate::core::population::Population;
+use crate::core::problem::Problem;
+use crate::core::result::OptimizationResult;
+use crate::core::rng::rng_from_seed;
+use crate::pareto::{best_candidate, pareto_front};
+use crate::traits::{Initializer, Optimizer};
+
+/// Configuration for [`RandomSearch`].
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub struct RandomSearchConfig {
+    /// Number of iterations (equals `generations` in the result).
+    pub iterations: usize,
+    /// Decisions sampled per iteration.
+    pub batch_size: usize,
+    /// Seed for the deterministic RNG.
+    pub seed: u64,
+}
+
+impl Default for RandomSearchConfig {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        Self { iterations: 100, batch_size: 1, seed: 42 }
+    }
+}
+
+/// Sample-evaluate-keep baseline optimizer.
+///
+/// Each iteration the configured `Initializer` produces `batch_size` decisions
+/// which are evaluated and pushed into the population. Cheap, parallelism-free,
+/// and useful as a sanity-check baseline.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub struct RandomSearch<I> {
+    /// Algorithm configuration.
+    pub config: RandomSearchConfig,
+    /// Decision-sampling strategy.
+    pub initializer: I,
+}
+
+impl<I> RandomSearch<I> {
+    /// Construct a `RandomSearch` from its config and initializer.
+    pub fn new(config: RandomSearchConfig, initializer: I) -> Self {
+        Self { config, initializer }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<P, I> Optimizer<P> for RandomSearch<I>
+where
+    P: Problem,
+    I: Initializer<P::Decision>,
+{
+    fn run(&mut self, problem: &P) -> OptimizationResult<P::Decision> {
+        let objectives = problem.objectives();
+        let mut rng = rng_from_seed(self.config.seed);
+        let mut all: Vec<Candidate<P::Decision>> = Vec::new();
+        let mut evaluations = 0usize;
+
+        for _ in 0..self.config.iterations {
+            let decisions = self.initializer.initialize(self.config.batch_size, &mut rng);
+            for decision in decisions {
+                let eval = problem.evaluate(&decision);
+                evaluations += 1;
+                all.push(Candidate::new(decision, eval));
+            }
+        }
+
+        let front = pareto_front(&all, &objectives);
+        let best = best_candidate(&all, &objectives);
+        OptimizationResult::new(
+            Population::new(all),
+            front,
+            best,
+            evaluations,
+            self.config.iterations,
+        )
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use crate::operators::RealBounds;
+    use crate::tests_support::{SchafferN1, Sphere1D};
+
+    #[test]
+    fn evaluation_count_matches_iterations_times_batch() {
+        let mut opt = RandomSearch::new(
+            RandomSearchConfig { iterations: 30, batch_size: 4, seed: 1 },
+            RealBounds::new(vec![(-2.0, 2.0)]),
+        );
+        let r = opt.run(&Sphere1D);
+        assert_eq!(r.evaluations, 30 * 4);
+        assert_eq!(r.population.len(), 30 * 4);
+        assert_eq!(r.generations, 30);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn pareto_front_non_empty_for_multi_objective() {
+        let mut opt = RandomSearch::new(
+            RandomSearchConfig { iterations: 50, batch_size: 1, seed: 42 },
+            RealBounds::new(vec![(-5.0, 5.0)]),
+        );
+        let r = opt.run(&SchafferN1);
+        assert!(!r.pareto_front.is_empty());
+        // Multi-objective ⇒ best is None.
+        assert!(r.best.is_none());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn single_objective_returns_best() {
+        let mut opt = RandomSearch::new(
+            RandomSearchConfig { iterations: 100, batch_size: 1, seed: 7 },
+            RealBounds::new(vec![(-1.0, 1.0)]),
+        );
+        let r = opt.run(&Sphere1D);
+        assert!(r.best.is_some());
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index bc00fd2..ce754aa 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -2,9 +2,13 @@
 //! many-objective optimization. See `docs/heuropt_tech_design_spec.md` for the
 //! full design.
 
+pub mod algorithms;
 pub mod core;
 pub mod operators;
 pub mod pareto;
 pub mod prelude;
 pub mod selection;
 pub mod traits;
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+pub(crate) mod tests_support;
diff --git a/src/prelude.rs b/src/prelude.rs
index 1be8d1f..51ad9e1 100644
--- a/src/prelude.rs
+++ b/src/prelude.rs
@@ -17,3 +17,5 @@ pub use crate::pareto::{
 };
 
 pub use crate::operators::{BitFlipMutation, GaussianMutation, RealBounds, SwapMutation};
+
+pub use crate::algorithms::{RandomSearch, RandomSearchConfig};
diff --git a/src/tests_support/mod.rs b/src/tests_support/mod.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f44d8fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tests_support/mod.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+//! Shared, deliberately tiny test problems used by algorithm unit tests.
+//!
+//! Not part of the public API.
+
+use crate::core::evaluation::Evaluation;
+use crate::core::objective::{Objective, ObjectiveSpace};
+use crate::core::problem::Problem;
+
+/// 1-D minimization sphere `f(x) = x^2`. Single objective, always feasible.
+pub struct Sphere1D;
+
+impl Problem for Sphere1D {
+    type Decision = Vec<f64>;
+
+    fn objectives(&self) -> ObjectiveSpace {
+        ObjectiveSpace::new(vec![Objective::minimize("f")])
+    }
+
+    fn evaluate(&self, decision: &Vec<f64>) -> Evaluation {
+        Evaluation::new(vec![decision[0] * decision[0]])
+    }
+}
+
+/// Schaffer N.1 — the textbook two-objective minimization warm-up:
+///
+/// `f1(x) = x^2`, `f2(x) = (x - 2)^2`. Always feasible.
+pub struct SchafferN1;
+
+impl Problem for SchafferN1 {
+    type Decision = Vec<f64>;
+
+    fn objectives(&self) -> ObjectiveSpace {
+        ObjectiveSpace::new(vec![Objective::minimize("f1"), Objective::minimize("f2")])
+    }
+
+    fn evaluate(&self, x: &Vec<f64>) -> Evaluation {
+        let v = x[0];
+        Evaluation::new(vec![v * v, (v - 2.0).powi(2)])
+    }
+}