Kenshin Kotari

Electrical Engineering & Computer Science & Mathematics Student | AI-Driven Process Automation & Control | Former Refinery Operator | Energy Optimization Enthusiast

Denton, Texas, United States

About

๐…๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐‘๐ž๐Ÿ๐ข๐ง๐ž๐ซ๐ฒ ๐Ž๐ฉ๐ž๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐„๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ž๐ž๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ˆ๐ง๐ง๐จ๐ฏ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง I am a student of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and Mathematics at the University of North Texas with hands-on experience in energy optimization, industrial process control, and automation. My academic and project work focus on control systems, power and energy systems, embedded programming, and applied mathematics including optimization, linear algebra, probability and statistics, differential equations, and numerical methods to enable data driven plant operations. Before I transitioned into electrical engineering, I spent three years in refinery operations at ENEOS Corporationโ€™s Marifu Refinery, managing critical processes across Atmospheric and Vacuum Distillation Units, Fluid Catalytic Cracking, and Propylene Recovery Systems. In this high-responsibility role, I operated under lean staffing conditions, overseeing multiple units independently during night shifts while optimizing energy consumption, process efficiency, and operational reliability. My contributions included strategic heat exchanger maintenance, resulting in daily energy savings of 1 million yen. ๐…๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ž ๐•๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐š๐ง๐ ๐‚๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐š๐›๐จ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง My goal is to advance AI driven autonomous plant operation by unifying control theory, machine learning, embedded systems, and rigorous mathematical modeling. I focus on building systems that are data driven, verifiable, and safe, with measurable gains in efficiency, stability, and maintainability. I am especially interested in model predictive control, system identification, sensor fusion, and SCADA integrated analytics for real time decision making in complex industrial environments. ๐‚๐จ๐ง๐ง๐ž๐œ๐ญ Letโ€™s connect to explore opportunities where engineering innovation meets industry transformation.

Experience

  • University of North Texas (Denton, Texas, United States ยท On-site)
    • Undergraduate Research Assistant - Control Systems Laboratory
      Nov 2025 - Present ยท 8 mos

      โ€ข Conducting research in the Control Systems Laboratory (CSL) under the supervision of Dr. Yusheng Wei.

    • Computer Lab Assistant
      Aug 2025 - Present ยท 11 mos

      โ€ข Oversee university computer labs, coordinating with faculty and supporting student use. โ€ข Provide tech support on macOS/Windows and common apps (Final Cut Pro, Adobe, Microsoft, Google). โ€ข Maintain lab hardware, including computers, printers, and microphones.

  • Undergraduate Research Assistant at Responsible AI Lab
    Nov 2025 - Present ยท 8 mos

    ใƒปConducting research in the Responsible AI Laboratory under the supervision of Dr. Yunhe Feng.

  • NSF Fellowship on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Cyber Infrastructure at National Science Foundation (NSF)
    Jun 2025 - Jul 2025 ยท 2 mos

    โ€ข Completed a highly selective, four-week Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) fellowship combining online coursework and on-site labs. โ€ข Studied UAV Communications, Flight Dynamics & Control, Edge & Distributed Computing, and AI / Machine Learning (including federated learning). โ€ข Piloted DJI Matrice 30T and Aurelia X6 Pro; programmed Tello drones in Python and simulated digital modulation in Python (Google Colab); built a three-node Raspberry Pi 4 cluster running a federated-learning linear regression workflow.

  • Oil Refinery Field Operator at ENEOS
    Apr 2018 - Feb 2021 ยท 2 yrs 11 mos

    ใƒปOperated ADU (128,000 bpd), VDU (75,000 bpd), FCC incl. Propylene Recovery (30,000 bpd), and flare systems to maintain stable, efficient refinery operations. ใƒปDelivered ยฅ1,000,000/day in energy savings by executing pre-heater steam purging to improve furnace efficiency. ใƒปManaged multi-unit operations under lean staffing, frequently overseeing units independently on night shifts. ใƒปSupported full-unit shutdowns (biennial): de-oiling, steam purging, Nโ‚‚ leak testing, and post-maintenance startups.