Stephan Heyns is professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Pretoria and is responsible for the activities of the Centre for Asset Integrity Management in this department, as well as coordinating a joint SAMERDI (South African Mining Extraction Research, Development and Innovation) research programme in mechanised mining systems, between the Departments of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering and Mining Engineering, at this university. Prof Heyns’s personal research focuses on machine condition and structural health monitoring using vibration based condition monitoring techniques. Recent research has in particular focused on the use of physics based models together with data driven models to create digital twins of complex systems for improved diagnostic and prognostic analysis. Prof Heyns has a keen interest in experimental techniques used for vibration analysis. He is a fellow of the South African Academy of Engineering, an honorary fellow of the SA Institution of Mechanical Engineers, a fellow of the International Society of Engineering Asset Management and a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. Prof Heyns has served on the scientific committees of many international conferences, and regularly serves as reviewer for many international journals.