So how do you find out how the world works? A biologist may sit in the woods and watch birds, and a physicist can pick apart an engine to see how it fits together. When, like me, you're working with computer systems, things are a little trickier. Nobody can really see how exactly a program does things inside the computer, it either works or crashes.

Fortunately, many programs leave "footprints" as they run inside the computer. These so-called "event logs" show that I first opened Word, created a new document, started typing, and so on. In our research group, we have developed special programs that can read these event logs, and create pictures that explain what exactly has happened. We call that little piece of magic "process mining", and many people in industry find it extremely useful for finding out more about how their computer systems work every day.

In fact, people get so excited about our inventions that they hanker for more and better tools. This is where the innovator in me comes into play. Together with a colleague, I have started Fluxicon, a new software company to create these tools and help people. As a scientist, I have discovered a little more about how the world works. But it is the innovator who takes that knowledge, and uses it to make the world a better place.