We are pleased to welcome Josh Short as our newest Data Intelligence Engineer. Josh brings over 20 years of experience to our growing Operational Intelligence team. Before joining LSI, he served as a senior engineer and project leader for a Fortune 50 company, focusing on operational technology (OT) application infrastructure design, standards development, system deployment, and support. Josh also filled various roles at one of the world’s largest fermentation facilities, gaining expertise in Information Technology, Information Systems, and Process Automation. Josh holds certifications in Advanced ColdFusion Developer, JavaScript, Various D/3 Administration, Active Directory, and Microsoft Server. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Rose Hulman Institute of Technology.
To get to know Josh better, we asked him four questions about his career journey and what he looks forward to as he begins his new role with LSI.
How did your career journey lead you to Automation and Operational Intelligence?
I started out in the Automation group of a very large fermentation facility at ADM in ‘01. I quickly realized the importance of data within the context of making wise decisions within production environments. Due to plant needs, I looked at what technologies I had access to and pushed myself to learn and develop a database\web application that interacted with PI and various other systems to transform our fermentation process from a paper tracking system into an automated and electronic batch product tracking system. This gave engineers access to vital process data in real-time, and I enjoyed the feeling of making a difference. Since then, I’ve always tried to expand my ‘toolbox’ of technologies.
What are you looking forward to the most in your new role at LSI?
In my most recent role, I was the OSIsoft PI SME for the Global Operations OT group at ADM. In this role, my responsibilities included OT application architecture design and system upgrades and deployments, but the role was also heavy in providing support to keep the enterprise PI systems running and healthy. I look forward to being able to devote more time to development and building of new solutions as well as being challenged to learn new technologies.
What emerging technologies or trends in your field are you most excited about?
We all hear the buzzwords as well as cyber security awareness and needs growing rapidly. I think edge computing and, specifically, many of the open-source application stacks being developed for use in these platforms are intriguing and could start changing the way we do some things in the world of OT and Data Technology. I hope to be able to spend more time learning some of these so that we can start adding more of them to LSI’s technology portfolio.
Outside of engineering, what do you enjoy doing in your free time? Any favorite hobbies or interests?
I like to do woodworking and build things. I’m starting to incorporate my son into this with me, and we are building a CNC machine (for wood) this year. I also enjoy making music and have been a worship leader for many years within the church.