Dr. Kwaku O. Prakah-Asante’s over 30 years of experience span the domains of strategy, technology, and innovation. He has applied his expertise in creating value in research leadership, management, product development, and operational excellence.  Kwaku currently serves as the Research Technical Fellow at the Center for Automotive Research (CAR). Dr. Prakah-Asante’s work in the automotive space has involved contributing and collaborating with OEMs, suppliers, government agencies, and academic institutions to provide strategic direction, deliver technology, and insights to promote innovation and an evolving viable ecosystem.  Kwaku worked for Ford Motor Company in Research and Advanced Engineering before joining CAR.  His overall contributions have involved the leadership, strategic development and application of computational intelligence, control systems, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), software, connectivity, and sensing methods to create and capture value. Kwaku’s contributions in the automotive industry have included Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), digital interior and interaction technologies, and automated systems.  Additional value creation applications include customer state and behavior monitoring, and methods to enhance the customer ownership experience in automated and Electric Vehicles (EVs).  Kwaku has been awarded over 125 US patents and has significant global patent filings.  He has authored/co-authored over 210 technical and patent publications and delivered significant presentations at conferences, invited sessions, corporate, and media events. Kwaku received his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in the area of control systems from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He received his S.B. degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).  He holds an M.B.A with High Distinction from the University of Michigan Ann-Arbor Ross School of Business.