Robert Samuels
Weston
Summary
Experienced Instrumentation and Control Digital Technician with a Bachelor of Science in Electronic System Engineering Technology and 25 years managing Distributed Control Systems, wireless sensor topologies, and telemetry algorithms. Transitioning physical-layer engineering expertise into advanced research in Machine Learning, predictive analytics, and Intelligent Systems through the Florida Atlantic University Professional Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence.
Overview
32
32
years of professional experience
Work History
Instrumentation and Control Special Digital Technician
Florida Power and Light Company
01.2018 - Current
- Modified, troubleshot, and maintained advanced, wireless-network-integrated Continuous Monitoring System (CMS) with real-time diagnostic algorithms that orchestrated facility-wide work orders upon flagging telemetry anomalies.
- Served as the immediate technical authority to isolate and mitigate critical, emergency process control system disruptions.
- Drove procedural improvement initiatives; interfaced with engineering OEMs and hardware vendors to troubleshoot and resolve deep-tier equipment flaws.
- Mentored and provided technical guidance to team members, assisting with complex industrial troubleshooting tasks to expedite project completion.
- Provide leadership relief and administrative oversight in the absence of the Maintenance Leader, ensuring team productivity and operational safety benchmarks are met.
Shift Technician
Florida Power and Light Company
01.2015 - 01.2016
- Monitored, calibrated, and adjusted complex industrial analyzer arrays to maintain precise chemical thresholds for a Heat Recovery Steam Generator.
- Managed live startup and shutdown sequences for heavy industrial gas turbines, utilizing automated HMI control room platforms to route power grid distribution safely.
- Executed rapid diagnostics and hardware-level troubleshooting on faulty telemetry transducers, preventing cascading system failures.
- Coordinated with internal and external customers to align system delivery outputs with regional consumption needs.
Instrumentation and Control Itinerant
Florida Power and Light Company
01.2008 - 01.2014
- Calibrated automated valves and data transmitters in a high-output heat recovery steam generation plant, contributing to optimal system performance.
- Overhauled and calibrated critical sensor payloads—including thermocouples, vibration probes, and gas monitors—on high-output combustion and steam turbines.
- Updated industrial asset history databases to track modification paths, hardware upgrades, and calibration trends, ensuring accurate records for facility operations.
- Collaborated with senior leadership, external contractors, and cross-functional engineering peers to manage project schedules, enhancing coordination and execution efficiency.
Instrument Mechanic
Atlantic Packaging Ltd.
Toronto
01.2002 - 01.2008
- Programmed, calibrated, and modified distributed plant instruments to maintain strict data integrity and production quality metrics within a paper mill facility.
- Achieved 3-hour maximum downtime Service Level Agreements (SLAs) on critical Belpurge system through rapid fault deployment, minimizing production interruptions.
- Collaborated with production data managers to identify system bottlenecks and implement automated loop tuning, enhancing system performance.
- Conducted operational alignment meetings with plant production managers to address engineering concerns and clarify technical system requirements, ensuring alignment across teams.
Instrument Technician
Alcan Bauxite Company (Kirkvine Works)
01.1996 - 01.2001
- Maintained and optimized temperature and pressure transmitters across high-scale industrial processing plants, including Kiln, Evaporator, and Precipitation zones.
- Executed repairs, replacements, and functionality verification of critical field-level environmental telemetry feedback hardware to maintain system reliability.
- Served as on-site subject matter expert for evaluating system abnormalities and authorizing system change documentation to ensure compliance and operational integrity.
Telecommunications Systems Specialist
Telecommunications of Jamaica (TOJ)
Kingston
01.1995 - 12.1995
- Configured, tested, and optimized telecommunication infrastructure, including Sonate radio networks, DMS digital switching environments, and core Telex systems, enhancing system performance.
- Engineered and maintained high-capacity radio frequency systems, cell site controllers, and D448 span lines, ensuring reliable cellular connectivity.
- Managed physical layer layout and troubleshooting of dedicated emergency communication circuits for public safety entities, ensuring uninterrupted service for Police, Fire, and Ambulance networks.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Electronic System Engineering Technology
Thomas Edison State University
Trenton, NJ01-2021
Associate Degree - Electrical Technology
University of Technology
Kingston, Jamaica01-1996
Skills
- Monitoring systems
- Work-order automation
- Outlier Tracking
- Deviation tracking
- Honeywell systems
- Siemens systems
- Valmet systems
- Ovation systems
- Mark 5 and 6 controls
- Wireless sensor networks
- Digital pressure transmitters
- Gas monitoring
- Process analyzers
- Thermal Probes
- DMS Digital Switching
- Vendor Management Engineering
- Technical direction
- Safety Compliance
Selected Achievements
- Configured and managed a complex wireless network Continuous Monitoring System (CMS) that tracks raw equipment parameters against algorithmic baselines to automatically fire data-driven corrective maintenance tickets upon detecting mathematical deviations.
- Directed a cross-functional engineering team to select and integrate ultrasonic level sensors on polymer infrastructure, crafting an automated closed-loop data tracking system that successfully eliminated fluid overflows and environmental compliance risks.
- Assigned to a high-priority telemetry diagnostics project to investigate complex system trends causing high-pressure trips; isolated underlying signal anomalies via detailed root-cause data analysis to safely reactivate a decommissioned event recorder.
- Designed and engineered high-availability, continuous network pipelines for banking institutions and public safety networks (Police, Fire, and Ambulance), maintaining near-zero latency routing constraints for mission-critical operations.
Timeline
Instrumentation and Control Special Digital Technician
Florida Power and Light Company
01.2018 - Current
Shift Technician
Florida Power and Light Company
01.2015 - 01.2016
Instrumentation and Control Itinerant
Florida Power and Light Company
01.2008 - 01.2014
Instrument Mechanic
Atlantic Packaging Ltd.
01.2002 - 01.2008
Instrument Technician
Alcan Bauxite Company (Kirkvine Works)
01.1996 - 01.2001
Telecommunications Systems Specialist
Telecommunications of Jamaica (TOJ)
01.1995 - 12.1995
Bachelor of Science - Electronic System Engineering Technology
Thomas Edison State University
Associate Degree - Electrical Technology
University of Technology