Michael zur Muehlen
Practice-oriented researcher and advisor at the intersection of AI, process management, and digital transformation.
Background
For 30 years, my work has bridged research and enterprise practice. I've advised organizations ranging from Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase to the U.S. Department of Defense and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York—helping them navigate process management, automation, and digital transformation. I've also served as an expert witness on matters of process innovation and automation strategy. My research has been cited over 7,600 times, and I've presented in more than 20 countries.
At the Stevens Institute of Technology, I direct the Center for Business Process Innovation and teach courses on AI management, business process management, and consulting. I also serve as Associate Dean of Graduate Studies in the School of Business.
BPM Research is structured as a boutique, senior-led practice. Clients work directly with me—no rotating junior teams. This model ensures deep domain expertise, consistent quality, and direct accountability on every engagement.
Advisory Since
1996
Enterprise process & AI consulting
Recognition
Life Fellow
Workflow Management Coalition
Education
Ph.D. & M.S., Information Systems
University of Munster, Germany
Summa cum laude · Dissertation Prize
Academic Home
Stevens Institute of Technology
School of Business
Areas of Expertise
Where research, teaching, and advisory work converge.
AI & Intelligent Automation
AI strategy, FATE governance, deployment patterns, and the organizational implications of automation and augmentation.
Business Process Management
Process analytics, governance, monitoring and controlling, Center of Excellence design, and enterprise-scale process capability.
Decision Management & DMN
Decision modeling with the DMN standard, separating decision logic from process logic for transparency and maintainability.
Enterprise Architecture
Architecture modeling, IT standardization, and scalable operating models. Advisor to the DoD Chief Architect and CTO.
Digital Transformation
Organizational capability building, the future of work, and curriculum innovation for the digital era (MaCuDE initiative).
Standards & Governance
Author of the BPAF specification. Life Fellow of WfMC. BPMN, DMN, and process standards expertise.
Academic Leadership
Associate Dean of Graduate Studies
Stevens Institute of Technology, School of Business
Developer, Enterprise AI Certificate
Executive course “Management of AI Technologies”—AI strategy, FATE framework, deployment patterns
Co-Lead, MaCuDE Initiative
AACSB & PwC-funded ($500K) global curriculum innovation with 50+ business schools
Director, Center for Business Process Innovation
Research center for BPM, process analytics, and automation
Graduate Program Growth
Grew graduate business enrollment from 862 to 1,500+ students as Associate Dean
Visiting Professor
Danish Technical University (2022–present), Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (2018–2020)
Standards & Industry
Life Fellow, Workflow Management Coalition
Chairs WfMC working group on Management & Audit. Author of the BPAF specification.
Co-Founder, AIS SIGPAM
Special Interest Group on Process Automation and Management
Advisor, U.S. Department of Defense
Advisor to the Chief Architect and CTO, Business Mission Area (2008–2012)
BPM Conference Steering Committee
International Conference on Business Process Management (2010–2019)
AACSB Digital Transformation Co-Chair
Affinity Group on Digital Transformation in business education
Research & Publications
Selected work across process management, AI, automation, and digital transformation.
By the Numbers
7,600+
Google Scholar Citations
75+
Research Publications
30
h-index
20+
Countries Presented
Workflow-Based Process Controlling
Logos, 2004 — Foundational text on workflow-driven process information systems
BPMN 2.0 Handbook
With Stephen White, Nathaniel Palmer — Standards reference on Business Process Model & Notation
Cognitive Computing: What's in for BPM?
2018 — Exploration of AI/cognitive computing use cases in business process management
Process Mining Manifesto
Van der Aalst et al., 2011 — Co-authored foundational document on process mining
Selected Awards
Selected Client Experience
Advisory and implementation work across financial services, government, defense, and technology.
How I Work
My practice focuses on high-impact problems: helping organizations understand what AI means for their operations, building sustainable process capability, and establishing the governance structures that make transformation stick. I don't create dependency—I build your team's capacity to carry the work forward.
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