Heiko Claussen is Chief Technologist at Emerson's Aspen Technology Business, leading artificial intelligence research & technology strategy. He is focused on the future of Aspen Technology's technology direction and is responsible for fostering synergies and innovation throughout the company. Prior to Aspen Technology, he was Head of Autonomous Machines and Principal Key Expert of AI at Siemens and led initiatives to enable autonomous machine applications for factory automation. During his 15-year tenure at Siemens, Heiko worked in many areas related to AI and digitization, including remote monitoring, machine learning, robotics, pattern recognition and statistical signal processing. Heiko is a recipient of numerous technical awards and recognitions. He has been named Inventor of the Year twice at Siemens – in 2016 for the development of a virtual sensor to monitor the flame status of gas turbines, and in 2019 for the development of a neural net accelerator for industrial control systems. He is also the author of over 100 registered inventions with 67 granted/published patents. Heiko holds a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southampton, UK; a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Ulster, UK; and a Dipl.-Ing degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Applied Sciences Kempten, Germany.