Pradeep Ashok is a PhD in Mechanical Engineering and a Senior Research Scientist in the Rig Automation and Performance Improvement in Drilling (RAPID) Group at The University of Texas (UT) at Austin. There he conducts research covering modeling of the drilling process, control systems design, data analytics, sensor development, machine learning algorithms, geothermal systems, etc. He is also the CTO of Intellicess, an oil and gas software company that assists operators and service providers reduce the cost of well construction.