Md Fazley Rafy

Ph.D. Candidate (Computer Science) • Cyber-Physical Systems • Smart Grid Resilience
West Virginia University Dhaka University

About

Md Fazley Rafy is a power and cyber-physical systems engineer with strong expertise at the intersection of electric power systems, software, and data-driven intelligence. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Dhaka in 2017 and completed his PhD in Computer Science at West Virginia University in 2027. His work focuses on smart grid resilience, distributed energy resource (DER) integration, real-time monitoring and control, and cyber-physical security for modern power distribution systems. He has extensive experience developing and validating hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) and cyber-physical testbeds using platforms such as Typhoon HIL, RTDS, OpenDSS, PSCAD, and Raspberry Pi–based edge controllers, enabling realistic evaluation of distributed control, communication delays, and cyber-attack scenarios. His research includes applied machine learning and optimization for voltage control, loss estimation, behind-the-meter disaggregation, battery energy storage management, and anomaly detection, with a strong emphasis on deployment-relevant solutions for utilities and grid operators. Md. Rafy has contributed to multi-institutional projects funded by DOE and NSF, collaborating with national laboratories, utilities, and industry partners, and has published extensively in IEEE journals and conferences. He is an IEEE and IEEE Power & Energy Society member, serves as a reviewer for leading journals, and has been actively involved in professional service and mentoring. Through West Virginia University’s Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP), he has mentored undergraduate researchers in power systems, industrial control systems, and cyber-physical security, helping bridge academic research with practical engineering workflows. His professional interests center on translating advanced research into scalable, reliable, and secure energy infrastructure, with a long-term focus on intelligent, autonomous, and resilient power distribution systems.

Research Interests

  • Cyber-physical resilience and security for DER-rich distribution systems
  • HIL/co-simulation testbeds (Typhoon HIL, OpenDSS) and IoT controller integration
  • Distributed control, situational awareness, and cyber-resilient operations
  • ML/optimization for stability assessment, estimation, and resilient control

Current Highlights

  • Research Assistant, SG-REAL Lab (WVU): cyber-physical testbeds and resiliency methods for distribution systems
  • Recent publication: “Cyber resilience in solar-rich networked microgrids…” (IEEE TIA, 2025)
  • Mentoring undergraduates (RAP) on ICS security and DER testbed experiments

Recent News/ Activities

  • August: Invited to present at the 2026 North American Power Symposium (NAPS) in Michigan.
  • May: Accepted invitation to serve as a Technical Program Committee member of 2026 IEEE International Conference on Communications, Control, and Computing Technologies for Smart Grids (SmartGridComm)
  • April: Awarded a Sigma Xi SMEE grant to advance hands-on cyber-physical smart grid education at West Virginia University.
  • March: Joining as Distributed Energy System researcher at National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) (former NREL), Golden, Colorado for summer 2026.
  • More at News

Quick Links

View my Publications and Projects.