Paul de Vrieze

Dr. Paul de Vrieze is a Principal Academic in Web Systems and Technologies at Bournemouth University's Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Computing and Informatics. He is the coordinator of the EU H2020 FIRST project and leads research in enterprise information systems, digital twins, and Industry 4.0. His work contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Quality Education, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Industry Innovation and Infrastructure, and Reduced Inequalities.

Education:

• PhD in Information Systems, Radboud University Nijmegen, 2006
• MSc in Information Systems Management, Tilburg University, 2002

His research focuses on the design and implementation of complex enterprise information systems, especially in supporting and automating business processes, with a strong emphasis on cross-organizational and collaborative systems. He investigates resilience, interoperability, and service-oriented architectures in virtual factories and digital twins. His recent work applies these concepts in industrial contexts, particularly under Industry 4.0.

The 15 most recent publications show a strong trend toward digital twin technologies, predictive maintenance, federated simulation, and compliance in collaborative networks. These works are deeply rooted in computer science and industrial engineering, with applications in smart manufacturing, supply chain resilience, and sustainable production.

Scientific Awards and Recognitions:

• Panel Member, Guardian round table on cloud computing, 2012

Dr. de Vrieze has supervised multiple PhD students to completion, including Olaolu Sofela, John-Paul Kasse, Oluwetoyin Fakorede, Go Sang, and Rushan Arshad. He has secured grants from the European Commission (H2020, Horizon Europe), National Natural Science Foundation of China, British Council, and internal Fusion Funding. His current major grant is the Sustainable Production of High Entropy Alloys from Secondary Metals (Horizon Europe MSCA, starting 2026).

Labs and Research Teams: He is central to the EU H2020 FIRST project team, which focuses on virtual factories and interoperation supporting business innovation. He collaborates extensively with Prof. Liang Xu and researchers across Europe and China. He is also involved in the Service Computing Research group at Bournemouth University.