“Innovation is seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.” 

Alex Huber is a dedicated and accomplished professional with a multifaceted educational and career background. In his pre-collegiate days, Alex never ceased challenging himself. He was intrigued in technology and often stayed up late building computers or programming websites and other applications. He embarked on his journey by pursuing an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Physics at Pennsylvania State University, showcasing his early passion for technology and innovation. Alex graduated near the top of his class with core competencies in signal processing, radio and laser propagation and circuit design.

During his senior year, Alex secured an internship at JDS Uniphase, a prominent communication company, where adapted his skills in programming for developing custom ethernet interfaces and web environments for regression testing equipment with custom Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). This experience provided him with valuable hands-on knowledge in cutting-edge technology.

After completing his undergraduate degree, Alex embarked on a unique path. He simultaneously worked full-time at ATI Allegheny Ludlum, a steel mill in western Pennsylvania, while pursuing graduate studies in the evenings at the University of Pittsburgh. There, he pursued both an MBA and an MSEE (Master of Science in Electrical Engineering), demonstrating his commitment to furthering his education and expertise. His core focus during his pursuit of higher educations was on linear and non-linear controls and optimization. He also enjoyed courses on inverter and converter design and smart grid technologies.

During his six years with ATI, Alex maintained PLC systems, HMI systems, high power motor controls and VFDs. The steel mill was an especially interesting place for a young electrical engineer because there is such a broad history of technology, still in use, captured between the walls of this facility. Alex began working on slate panels with motor contactors and mechanically operated rheostats used on MG sets for field regulation of motors for line speed and tension control. Modicon 384 484 Quantum. Allen Bradley FlexIO 1756. GE Fanuc 90-30, PACSystems. Mitsubishi. DirectLogic. Siemens S5. Siemens S7. Alex Has seen almost any PLC that has been used in the last 150 years.  It was here that Alex would work with small power sensitive electronics and controllers and also high power motors and switchgear exceeding 10s of thousands of horsepower. Alex learned about the struggles in the manufacturing process and improving reliablity through thorough analysis of failures. He would work within teams to design systems in response to FMEAs and Root Cause Analysis. The company prided itself on Good Manufacturing Practices and Continue Improvement efforts through a Reliability Centered Maintenance program where they designed statistical machine monitoring systems for tracking the need to repair averting major issues with quality rejections.

Driven by his passion for automation and control systems, Alex took on a pivotal role in Georgia, overseeing the commissioning of three major SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system projects for Drax Biomass across the central southern states of Louisiana and Mississippi. This experience solidified his reputation as a skilled systems integrator and SCADA specialist. After successfully completing the task, he still had a desire to build something from the ground up.

In his continued pursuit of challenging and innovative projects, Alex later joined Reveam, where he was responsible for designing, building, and commissioning the SCADA controls for two electron linear accelerator systems used for irradiation.

During this multi-year endeavor, Alex was crucial in the design and installation of mechanical systems. Starting with conceptualizing the Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs). He had a role in the selection of instrumentation. He worked to oversee the design of all the control panels across the system. He performed all the PLC and SCADA system programming as well as setting up the Data Historian. Alex designed the safety system required to keep personnel out of harms way in the production of high-power radiation. He built the very first Virtual Machines required to operate the accelerator systems. He constructed custom interfaces for integrations with magnet power supplies and other sub systems. He would oversee the design of custom high speed control systems and protective devices to keep the 10MW system from damaging itself. Alex was also responsible for designing, building, and commissioning the radio frequency controls for the accelerator as well as the interfaces with high voltage pulse power systems.

His dedication to technology, automation, and problem-solving has made him a sought-after professional in the field, leaving a lasting impact on the industries he’s been a part of.