Justin Thibault
Well into my third decade doing cool stuff with marvelous people: digitally transforming energy supply.
Qualifications
Bachelor of Science: Mechanical Engineering (BSME)
University of North Carolina - Charlotte (UNCC)
Professional Engineer (PE)
North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCBELS)
Project Management Professional (PMP)
Project Management Institute (PMI)
AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate
Amazon Web Services Training and Certification
Deep Learning Specialization
DeepLearning.AI
Machine Learning
Stanford University - Online
Business Analytics
Harvard Business School (HBS) Online
Lead 4 Success
Center for Creative Leadership
Strategic Foresight
Foresight Academy: University of Tennessee - Haslam College of Business
Monday.com - Product Certification
Monday.com
Experience
Current Role: IT Project Leader
Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
Project Leader for Business Applications in EPRI's new IT Project Management Organization (PMO)
Target Areas
- Project Management Standards Development
- Secure Software Development
- Process Streamlining
Highlights
- Leveraged collaboratively-developed Monday.com templates and dashboards for program, project, and product managers to contribute to real-time integrated status and resource reporting: eliminating duplicative reporting efforts and standardizing reporting and controls for both agile and waterfall projects.
- Developed a new consultation process to coordinate infrastructure, development, and architects to address complicated business requests.
June 2022 - Present
Senior Technical Leader
Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
Led development of collaborative approaches to digital transformation challenges among energy supply stakeholders in research, government, and the private sector.
Collaborative Research Areas
- Business Intelligence Tools
- Data Science & Machine Learning
- Enterprise Architecture
- Enterprise Application Integration
- Cyber Security
- Cloud Integration
Highlights
- Streamlined software development techniques to cut delivery time in half for a solution used to save more than $1 million annually for a client.
- Led an initiative to identify and leverage existing cyber security talent within the organization to kick off a first-in-the-industry generation cyber security initiative resulting in additional annual revenue. This was highlighted in the EPRI Journal
- Applied agile project management techniques using existing resources to an institute-wide, cross-functional team to develop a data governance strategy: simultaneously reducing coordination costs and meeting aggressive deadlines.
- Led a multi-disciplinary team to extend the IEC Common Information Model (CIM) to energy supply assets. Check out the repo: ES-CIM
April 2013 - June 2022
Project Manager
Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
Managed projects in coordination with industry leaders, utilities, and subject-matter experts.
Projects Managed
- Equipment Reliability
- Asset Management
- Software Development
- Training Development
Highlights
- Reduced the training time for a flagship product by 50% resulting in a 300% increase product engagement and millions of dollars in additional projects.
- Led a multi-million dollar, international research collaboration developing Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM)-based maintenance programs for combined-cycle generation. Reduced costs of development by 1/3 through strategic application of collaboration tools.
- Piloted an audience response tool increasing technical engagement at meetings and workshops. Through training and demonstration - the use of the methods were adopted institute-wide
January 2007 - April 2013
Engineer
EPRI Solutions
Provided engineering and software solutions development as part of a multidisciplinary team - including supervising students and entry-level engineers.
Trains Driven
- Website Development
- Laboratory & Experiment Design
- Software Development
- Training Development
Highlights
- Reduced web development costs for several groups by 1/3 and decreased turnaround by bringing the work in-house through development of templates and an intern training program.
- Developed a number of test rigs with internal staff that reduced costs for critical experiments by 25% through in-sourcing.
May 2002 - December 2006
Technical Assistant
EPRI Solutions
Earned tuition money writing engineering software as part of a multi-disciplinary team. Some of it's still running.
Technologies Assisted
- VBA
- C
- C++
- Visual Basic
Highlights
- Automated the processing of axial offset anomaly output cutting analysis turnaround in half.
- Assigned to a client site, developed projects across in multiple program areas in various energy sectors that resulted in repeat business for a multi-disciplinary remote team.
October 1999 - May 2002
Simulator Technician
Performance Consulting Services
Provided local IT support and managed field service installation of custom networked power plant simulations from a variety of vendors.
All the stuff I worked on is now obselete and the company was bought-out long ago, but I was inspired by this tweet about the "jankiest piece of tech you’ve seen a company depend on".
Here's mine: To get multiple power plant simulators to run on a small network of a half-dozen PCs - I had to setup each PC with OS/2, Sun Solaris, and Windows NT in a triple-boot configuration. We shipped many of those setups to utilities for their training departments.
September 1997 - October 1999
Publications & Media
Videos
Reliable Results: KOWEPO Optimizes Maintenance Using EPRI’s PMBD Platform
This video highlights a multi-year, international collaboration with one of our members on their Maintenance Basis Optimization (MBO) results
Korea Western Power Corporation Builds Custom Maintenance Strategies with EPRI’s PMBD Platform
Same MBO video but in Korean. It's not often that someone gets Korean subtitles.
Common Information Model Combines Augmented Reality and EPRI Research For Utility Workers
I wrote the script and produced this video. It's still the most effective way to describe the Common Information Model.
Research & Development Reports
There's two-and-a-half decades of R&D here, so I've grouped them into 5 areas.
- Application Integration Using Model-Based Standards
- Applied Analytics for Reliability Program Improvement of Energy Supply Assets
- Asset Management
- Power Generation Cyber Security
- Technology Demonstration & Evaluation
Application Integration Using Model-Based Standards
Model-based application integration and extending the IEC CIM to support enterprise architecture (both on-prem and cloud)
Reports as Project Lead
- Application Integration Using Standards-Based Messaging: Implementation of Energy Supply Common Information Model (ES-CIM) Interfaces
- Plant Modernization Application Integration Study: Overview of Integration Cost and Challenges in Enterprise Projects
- Integrating Bulk Power Generation Assets into the Common Information Model
Reports as Key Collaborator
Applied Analytics for Reliability Program Improvement of Energy Supply Assets
Applying collaborative R&D to optimization of energy supply assets.
Reports as Project Lead
- Maintenance Case Study: Equipment Reliability Data Platform Specification—Proposed Connection of Korea Western Power Co.’s Maintenance Management System to EPRI Applications
- EPRI Preventive Maintenance Basis Database (PMBD) Application in Hydro Generation
- Maintenance Case Study: Using EPRI Preventive Maintenance Basis Database to Accelerate Formal Failure Modes, Effects, and Criticality Analysis: Part of the EPRI Generation
- Guideline for Expert Elicitation of Equipment Reliability Experiences
- Plant Maintenance Basis Task Selection Training
Reports as Key Collaborator
- Gas Turbine Lube-Oil System Maintenance Basis Case Study
- Generation Maintenance Applications Center: Gas Turbine Combined-Cycle Feedwater and Condensate System Model Maintenance Report
- Generation Maintenance Applications Center: Gas Turbine Combined-Cycle Circulating Water System Model Maintenance
- Generation Maintenance Applications Center: Combined Cycle Combustion Turbine Inlet Cooling System Model Maintenance Report
- Generation Maintenance Applications Center: Combined-Cycle Combustion Turbine Steam Bypass Model Maintenance Guide
- Preventive Maintenance Practices for Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems
Asset Management
Guidlines for leveraging on-line monitoring and maintenance basis optimization
Reports as Project Lead
- Development and Management of Multimedia Knowledge Transfer for Operations and Maintenance
- Work Order Closeout Automation and Technologies
- Guidelines for Developing a Preventive Maintenance (PM) Program: Identifying, Prioritizing, and Implementing PM Tasks: Summary of Lessons Learned for Maintenance Basis Optimization on Fossil, Combined-Cycle, Co Generation, and Renewable Assets
- Preventive Maintenance Feedback and Management
- Maintenance Basis Experience
- Configuration Management
- On-Line Continuous Monitoring Assessment
- Computerized Maintenance Management System and Equipment Reliability Program Integration Issues and Opportunities
- Maintenance Task Work Package Library
Reports as Key Collaborator
Power Generation Cyber Security
Applying IT and OT cyber security practices for power generation assets under NERC-CIP and other infrastructure standards.
Reports as Project Lead
- Connected Component Reference Architectures: Securing Connected Components in Power Generation—Interactive Remote Access, Vendor Use Case
- Utilizing Reference Architectures for Securing Power Generation Facilities: Generation Cyber Security
- Cyber Security Solutions for Instrumentation and Control Systems: Final Project Report - Strategy for Continued Research in Generation Sector Cyber Security
- Cyber Security for Power Generation Operations and Maintenance: Overview of Recent Operations and Maintenance Research for Applicability to Cyber Security
Reports as Key Collaborator
- Interactive Remote Access Guidance: Generation Cyber Security
- Hardware Security for Interactive Remote Access and Information Transfer: Phase 2a—Proof of Concept
- Guideline on Digital I&C Configuration Management and Hardening for Generation Facilities
- Patch Management Guidelines
- Hardware Security for Interactive Remote Access and Information Transfer - Phase 1: Design
Technology Demonstration & Evaluation
Objective & collaborative evaluation of various IT & OT approaches for energy providers.
Reports as Project Lead
- Cost-Benefit Study for Mobile Devices for Operator Rounds and Work Order Closeout at Fossil Generating Sites
- Technology to Improve Plant Configuration, Layout, and Visualization
- Non-Contact Linear Variable Differential Transformer (LVDT) Replacement Study
- PdM Technology, Identification, Development, and Implementation for 2003: Acoustic Bearing Monitoring Testing for Lubrication Effectiveness
Reports as Key Collaborator
- Analysis and Results of Absorber Recycle Pump Testing at DTE Monroe Power Plant
- On-Line Monitoring of Instrument Channel Performance: Algorithm Descriptions, Model Examples and Results
- NMAC Gimpel Trip and Throttle Valve Spindle Testing Project
- Steam Turbine Electrohydraulic Control Fluid Monitoring Project
- Steam Turbine Blade Failure Root Cause Analysis Guide
- Motor-Operated Valve Lubricant Performance and Condition Assessment
Volunteer
Construction Health and Relief Acts (CHaRA)
The CHaRA mission is to reach out to those in need and share the joy we have been given. CHaRA is a USA faith based 501(c)(3) organization focused on the needs of people, especially children, mothers, babies and midwives in rural villages, where resources are limited and hope is deferred.
Board Member
Cooperative Christian Ministry (CCM)
Cooperative Christian Ministry serves Cabarrus and Southern Rowan counties through programs that move people from crisis to restoration.
- Relieving hunger and food insecurity
- Keeping families together in their home
- Addressing homelessness and housing crisis
Secretary