Process Intelligence for New Power Systems

On May 26, North China Electric Power University (NCEPU) held the appointment ceremony for Professor Wil van der Aalst, an internationally renowned computer scientist and the “Godfather of Process Mining,” as well as the unveiling ceremony of the Van der Aalst Energy Process Intelligence Laboratory. Bi Tianshu, President and Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, and Liu Wei, Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President, attended the ceremony. Heads of relevant departments, faculty representatives, and student representatives also participated in the event.

In her remarks, Bi Tianshu welcomed Professor Wil van der Aalst to North China Electric Power University. She stated that Professor Wil van der Aalst is a globally influential scholar in the field of process intelligence and a key pioneer of process mining technology, having made groundbreaking contributions to data-driven business process analysis, process discovery, and process optimization. She noted that, against the backdrop of China’s “dual carbon” goals, new power systems and energy systems are undergoing profound transformation. The mutual empowerment and deep integration of artificial intelligence and energy power have become an important direction for future scientific and technological development. Professor Wil van der Aalst’s joining the University, and the establishment of a laboratory named after him, represent an important measure for the University to align with national strategies and advance its “Double First-Class” construction. This will also help the University deepen international scientific research cooperation, develop frontier disciplinary fields, and enhance its international influence.

Bi Tianshu said that the University will fully support Professor Wil van der Aalst’s work at NCEPU and provide resources and policy support for the construction of the laboratory and the development of its team. She expressed the hope that Professor Wil van der Aalst would play a leading academic role in guiding the growth of young faculty members, broadening students’ international perspectives, enhancing the University’s academic standing in the international field of energy artificial intelligence, and jointly contributing NCEPU’s wisdom to global energy development.

Professor Wil van der Aalst expressed his gratitude for the University’s trust and invitation. He recognized North China Electric Power University’s long-standing dedication to the energy and power industry, as well as its achievements in scientific research, talent cultivation, and discipline development. He stated that China has demonstrated remarkable innovation speed in energy transformation, while Europe has accumulated profound expertise in process management and process intelligence, creating great potential for cooperation between the two sides. He said he felt honored and proud of the establishment of the Van der Aalst Energy Process Intelligence Laboratory and looked forward to using this platform to deeply integrate process mining technology with energy and power systems, address complex system optimization problems, and carry out broader and deeper cooperation with the University.

At the ceremony, Bi Tianshu presented Professor Wil van der Aalst with the certificate of appointment as Honorary Professor of North China Electric Power University, and the two sides jointly unveiled the Van der Aalst Energy Process Intelligence Laboratory.

After the ceremony, Professor Wil van der Aalst held discussions with representatives from the Office of International Cooperation and the School of Control and Computer Engineering, and delivered an academic lecture titled “Powering Process Intelligence with Object-Centric Process Mining” to faculty and students. In the lecture, drawing on his own research and industrial practice, he introduced the core principles and technological evolution of process mining, shared applications of object-centric process mining in energy systems, enterprise operations, and other scenarios, and exchanged views with faculty and students on topics such as the integrated development of process intelligence and artificial intelligence.

Professor Wil van der Aalst is currently a Chair Professor at RWTH Aachen University in Germany and Founding Director of the Center for Artificial Intelligence. He serves as Chief Scientist of Celonis, a global process intelligence company, and is also an IFIP, IEEE, and ACM Fellow. He has been elected as a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Academia Europaea, and the German Academy of Science and Engineering. In 2018, he received the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship. His research areas include process mining, artificial intelligence, data science, process intelligence, business process management, industrial process automation, Petri nets, process modeling, and simulation. In the Research.com 2025 ranking, he was ranked No. 1 among computer scientists in Germany and No. 8 worldwide.