AI in CHEM Seminar Series: Leonardo Espinosa (VTT)

This talk is part of the “AI and Machine Learning in Chemical Research and Industry” Seminar Series organized by the Aalto University School of Chemical Engineering. It is open to all members of the public. Registered students in course CHEM-E4190 can also obtain 1cr by attending the seminars and completing the assignments.

Date and location

• Wednesday 16 April 2025 @ 13:15-14:00
• A304 Ke2 lecture hall in the main building of the School of Chemical Engineering, Kemistintie 1, 02150 Espoo.

Agenda

• 13:00-13:15. Setup and brief info for the registered students.
• 13:15-14:00. Seminar by Leonardo Espinosa, lecture hall A304.
• 14:00-onwards. Coffee, netwoking and mingling in the lobby adjacent to the lecture hall.

Seminar info

Machine Learning Across Industries: From Academia to Real Applications

Leonardo A. Espinosa-Leal

Principal Scientist, ProperTune AI Team, VTT, Espoo, Finland

It is not a novelty to hear that machine learning is everywhere. Since you wake up until you go to sleep, your life and decisions are driven (and in some cases controlled) through the interaction with machine learning algorithms. Despite their ubiquitousness and the constant buzz about AI and the need for digitalization across industries, it is very interesting that most ML projects in the sector (60% to 80%, depending on the area) never reach the deployment phase. In this talk, we will discuss, using real (successful and unsuccessful) examples from some Finnish industry players, how “AI” is presented in academic environments and how to address the gap between the academy and the industry. In addition, a general view of VTT’s strategy for materials discovery, including those concepts, will be presented and discussed.

About the speaker

Leonardo holds a BSc in physics from the National University of Colombia, a Master in Nanoscience, and a PhD in Computational Materials Science from the University of the Basque Country in Spain (2013). He moved to Finland in 2013 as a postdoc at Aalto University and, in 2016, decided to switch his research interests towards the world of machine learning and artificial intelligence. He got a Research fellowship (2017) at Arcada University of Applied Sciences (Finland), then was appointed Senior lecturer in Big Data Analytics (2020) and later, Principal lecturer in Technology (2023). He was the head of the Applied Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and the Degree Programme Director of the Master in Big Data Analytics at the same institution from 2022 until 2025.

In 2025, Leonardo was appointed as Principal Scientist at VTT in the ProperTune AI team. Currently, His main interest is (but not limited to) the intersection of AI, Materials Science, and Quantum computing.