Harsha Wattegedara
About Harsha Wattegedara
Harsha Wattegedara is a Controls Engineer at ExxonMobil with extensive experience in PLC programming and HMI development.
Company
Harsha Wattegedara currently works at ExxonMobil as a Controls Engineer, where he has been employed since 2018. He is based in Midland, Texas, and his role involves managing human machine interface (HMI) programs, coordinating project start-ups and commissioning phases, and supporting various engineering and operational personnel in resolving site operational anomalies.
Title
Harsha Wattegedara holds the title of Controls Engineer at ExxonMobil. In this role, he develops and manages HMI programs using platforms such as Ignition, Wonderware, Factory Talk, and Red Lion. He also participates in bidding and design review meetings and reports weekly progress for project meetings.
Education and Expertise
Harsha Wattegedara achieved a Master of Science (MSc) in Computer Science from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin from 2015 to 2017. He also holds a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wyoming, obtained between 2008 and 2012. His expertise includes PLC programming with various software tools such as RSLinx, Drive Executive, RSLogix500, and more. He also has experience programming a variety of PLCs, including Allen Bradley, Directlogix, SCADAPACK, GE Fanuc series, Siemens S7, and Fisher ROC.
Control Systems Engineering Roles
Prior to his current role, Harsha Wattegedara worked at PointForward Inc. as a Control Systems Engineer from 2014 to 2018 in the Odessa/Midland, Texas Area. He also served as an Electrical Engineer at CBS from 2013 to 2014 and was a Private Tutor for subjects such as Statics, Dynamics, and Calculus I and II at the University of Wyoming from 2009 to 2012.
Technical Skills and Responsibilities
Harsha Wattegedara is skilled in testing and troubleshooting faulty equipment using various test equipment and software to diagnose malfunctions. He also provides support for field PLC installation, simulation, debugging, FAT, commissioning, and after-sales troubleshooting. Additionally, he assists in projects using third-party control systems and supports electrical, instrumentation, automation, and engineering personnel in resolving site operational issues.