1. A method comprising: determining that a population of candidate solutions for an optimization problem has prematurely converged during a metaheuristic optimization run; determining a cause for premature convergence of the population based, at least in part, on an analysis of the metaheuristic optimization run; selecting a first cataclysm strategy of a plurality of different cataclysm strategies based, at least in part, on one of the cause of the premature convergence and a history of the metaheuristic optimization run; and simulating a cataclysm based, at least in part, on the first cataclysm strategy.