Dr. Rafee Al Ahsan

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Pronouns: He/Him

Affiliations

Instructor

University of Calgary

Contact information

rafeeal.ahsan@ucalgary.ca

Web presence

Google Scholar

ResearchGate

Preferred method of communication

Professional Contact Emails: rafeeal.ahsan@ucalgary.ca; ahsanrafee123@ieee.org; ahsanrafee123@gmail.com; rafeeal.ahsan@alumni.ucalgary.ca

Background

Credentials

Data Analytics Professional Certification & Specialization, Google, 2024

Cybersecurity Professional Certification & Specialization, Google, 2024

Python Programming: A Concise Introduction, Wesleyan University, 2020

AI for Everyone, DeepLearning.AI, 2020

Educational Background

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), University of Calgary, 2025

Master of Engineering (M.Eng.-Thesis) Electrical Engineering (EE), Chulalongkorn University, 2021

Bachelors of Science (B.Sc.) Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE), Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, 2019

Biography

Dr. Rafee Al Ahsan holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree with a 1st Class Top Ranking in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Calgary, Canada. His doctoral thesis and research lie at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence–driven signal processing, data-driven optimization, and advanced wireless communications for 5G, 6G, and beyond, with a strong emphasis on energy-efficient transmission, high-mobility systems, and the integration of software optimization with reliable, energy-aware hardware implementation for embedded and sensor-based devices. His work reflects a balanced blend of innovation and novelty, combining strong theoretical rigour with real-world, application-focused design and validation, effectively bridging the gap between hardware and software co-design. Based on the overall rigour, originality, and quality of the research, his Ph.D. thesis was ranked within the top 10% at the University of Calgary.

Dr. Ahsan was awarded the Alberta Innovates Graduate Scholarship, jointly funded by the Government of Alberta and the University of Calgary, four times—an award granted to approximately 1% of applicants (7 out of ~700 per year)—in recognition of the potential impact of his research on green and energy-efficient technologies in Alberta. His Ph.D. research was further supported by the International Graduate Tuition Award, the ESE Departmental Funding Award, and a full-time doctoral fellowship.

Dr. Ahsan has been serving as an Instructor at the University of Calgary across multiple undergraduate and graduate courses in the Departments of Electrical and Software Engineering and Computer Science, under both the Schulich School of Engineering and the Faculty of Science. He actively mentors undergraduate and graduate students who seek to go beyond course requirements through research projects, system-level demonstrations, and innovation-focused career development.

In parallel, Dr. Ahsan has served as an Invited IEEE Reviewer for over 7 years, contributing to several flagship IEEE journals and conferences, while mentoring early-career researchers through constructive peer review. He has also volunteered for more than three years as an Invited Judge at science fairs and academic competitions, encouraging and supporting young researchers at the school and college levels.

Prior to his Ph.D., Dr. Ahsan earned a Master of Engineering degree from Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand (ranked 1st nationally), graduating with a perfect CGPA of 4.00, fully funded by the prestigious ASEAN & Non-ASEAN Scholarship from the Thai Government & Chulalongkorn University.

Research

Areas of Research

Energy-efficient Green 6G & Beyond Wireless Communication Technologies, Quantum Optimization & Technologies, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Deep Learning Schemes, High Mobility Real-time Applications in Fast Fading Channels, Systems & Network Sciences, Cybersecurity and Cryptography (Classical, AI-based and Quantum-related), Big Data Analysis and Scalable Data Analytics, Software and Hardware Co-optimization, Sustainable Application-Specific Optimization

Participation in university strategic initiatives

Energy Innovations for Today and Tomorrow (2013-2021)

Energy Futures

Courses

Course number	Course title	Semester
ENEL 680	Applied Optimization for Sustainable Design	Fall 2026, Fall 2025, Fall 2024
SENG 550	Scalable Data Analytics	Fall 2026, Fall 2025
ENEL 441	Control Systems I	Fall 2026
ENEL 327	Signals and Transforms	Summer 2026, Summer 2025
ENCM 369	Computer Organization	Summer 2026, Summer 2025
CPSC 329	Explorations in Information Security and Privacy	Spring 2026, Winter 2026, Spring 2025
ENCM 515	Application Specific Processors and Accelerators	Winter 2026
ENEL 686	Embedded Systems	Winter 2025

Awards

Alberta Innovates Award (4 years), University of Calgary. 2021
Prestigious Sessional Faculty Travel Award, Faculty Association of The University of Calgary. 2025
IEEE Exemplary Reviewer Recognition – IEEE Transactions on Network Science & Engineering (IEEE TNSE), IEEE Communications Society. 2025
International Graduate Tuition Award (4 years), University of Calgary. 2021
Electrical and Software Engineering (ESE) Graduate Research Award, University of Calgary. 2025
Schulich School of Engineering (SSE) Graduate Research Impact Excellence Award, University of Calgary. 2024
Electrical and Software Engineering (ESE) Graduate Research Award, University of Calgary. 2024
Canadian Network on Information and Security (CANIS) Graduate Research Award, University of Calgary. 2021
IEEE International Telecommunication Networks and Application Conference (ITNAC) Travel Award, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Australia. 2023
Electrical and Software Engineering (ESE) Departmental Travel Award, University of Calgary. 2023
International Student Mentor Badge, International Student Services, University of Calgary. 2023
Schulich School of Engineering (SSE) Career Elevation Badge, Engineering Career Centre, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary. 2023
ASEAN and NON-ASEAN Scholarship Award, Chulalongkorn University (CU), Thailand. 2020
Huawei Certified ICT Associate (HCIA) - 5G Distinction, Huawei, China. 2020
IEEE Region-10 Student Travel fund Award, IEEE. 2019
Invited Keynote Speaker on 5G Communications Honor, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST), Bangladesh. 2019

Publications

A New SS-VDS-SLM Technique for PAPR Reduction in High-Mobility Real-time OTSM. Rafee Al Ahsan, Abraham O. Fapojuwo, Fadhel M. Ghannouchi. IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology (Early Access)(Impact Factor: 7.1)(Acceptance Rate: 5%). 16. (2025)
A Semi-Supervised QPSO-TR PAPR Reduction Scheme for OTSM Systems. Rafee Al Ahsan, Abraham O. Fapojuwo, Fadhel M. Ghannouchi. IEEE 22nd Consumer Communications & Networking Conference (CCNC)(Acceptance Rate: 24.4%), Las Vegas, USA. 4. (2025)
OFDM PAPR Reduction by ANN-Aided Tone Reservation via PSO. Rafee Al Ahsan. IEEE 22nd Consumer Communications & Networking Conference (CCNC)(Acceptance Rate: 24.4%), Las Vegas, USA. 6. (2025)
Analysis and Mitigation of Transmitter Nonlinearity Effects on FBMC Signals. Fatemeh Ghods, Rafee Al Ahsan et al.. IEEE Microwave Theory and Technology Society International Wireless Symposium, China. (2024)
Analysis of Adapted Tone Reservation PAPR Reduction Techniques in OTSM System. Rafee Al Ahsan, Fadhel M. Ghannouchi, Abraham O. Fapojuwo. 33rd IEEE International Telecommunication Networks and Applications Conference, Australia. (2023)
Artificial neural network (ANN) based classification of high and low PAPR OFDM signals. Rafee Al Ahsan, Lunchakorn Wuttisittikulkij. 36th IEEE International Technical Conference on Circuits/Systems, Computers and Communications (ITC-CSCC), South Korea. (2021)
A GUI based Self-learning Tool for Polar Codes using Successive Cancellation and List Decoders. Rafee Al Ahsan et al.. IEEE International Conference on Advanced Information Technologies (ICAIT), Myanmar. (2020)
Comparative Analysis of Successive Cancellation and List Decoders Using Distinct Combinations of LLRs for Polar Codes. Rafee Al Ahsan et al.. 3rd IEEE West Asian Symposium on Optical and Millimeter-wave Wireless Communication (WASOWC), Iran. (2020)
Development of Chinese Vocabulary Learning by utilizing Virtual Reality. Chonlakorn Penpinun, Rafee Al Ahsan et al.. 36th IEEE International Technical Conference on Circuits/Systems, Computers and Communications (ITC-CSCC), South Korea. (2021)
A Discrete-Time Simulation for Throughput Performance Evaluation of IEEE802.11 with Hidden Stations. Theesid Sriprasert, Amir Parnianifard, Rafee Al Ahsan et al.. 36th IEEE International Technical Conference on Circuits/Systems, Computers and Communications (ITC-CSCC), South Korea. (2021)
Implementation of novel fractional powered binomial filter (FPBF) in 5G-UFMC. Rafee Al Ahsan, A K M Baki. IEEE International Conference on Consumer Electronics - Asia (ICCE-Asia), Thailand. (2019)
Novel Methods of Filtering For FBMC/UFMC Based 5G Communication Systems. A K M Baki, Rafee Al Ahsan et al.. 7th IEEE International Conference on Smart Computing & Communications (ICSCC), Malaysia. (2019)

Google Scholar

More Information

Academic Positions & Services

Graduate Teaching Assistant roles

Served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for undergraduate and graduate courses in the Department of Electrical and Software Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary. Supported course delivery through laboratory and tutorial instruction, assignment and examination preparation, grading, student mentoring, office hours, and academic support across a broad range of topics in artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, programming, computer networks, communication systems, electrical engineering, and engineering design.

Engineering Large Scale Data Analytics (ENSF 612)
Engineering Large Scale Analytics Systems (SENG 550)
Advanced Applied Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (ENDG 411)
Networked Systems (ENSF 462) (2 appointments)
Introduction to Communication Systems and Networks (ENEL 471) (2 appointments)
The Role and Responsibilities of the Professional Engineer in Society (ENGG 513) (2 appointments)
Fundamentals of Electrical Circuits and Machines (ENGG 225) (2 appointments)
Engineering Design, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ENGG 200) (2 appointments)
Programming with Data (ENDG 233)

Invited IEEE Reviewer

Invited peer reviewer for leading IEEE journals and international IEEE conferences. Conducted rigorous scholarly reviews of (160+) research manuscripts across leading IEEE journals and international conferences in wireless communications, artificial intelligence, machine learning, optimization, quantum technology, networking, intelligent transportation systems, embedded systems, signal processing, biomedical imaging, and computer engineering. Provided independent technical evaluations and evidence-based recommendations to journal editors and conference technical program committees, contributing to the maintenance of high standards in scholarly publication and peer review.

IEEE Journal Review Service (30+ reviews)

International IEEE Conference Review Service (130+ reviews)

Invited Judge

Calgary Youth Science Fair (Medal Round) – Invited judge (2023–2026; 4 consecutive years). Evaluated student science and engineering research projects during the Medal Round based on scientific merit, technical quality, innovation, methodology, presentation, and overall impact.
Calgary Youth Science Fair (Award Round) – Invited judge (2025–2026; 2 consecutive years). Assessed top-ranked projects during the Award Round and participated in the selection of recipients for special awards based on research excellence, originality, technical rigour, and presentation.

Invited Textbook Reviewer

Cambridge University Press & Assessment – Invited reviewer of A Hands-on Introduction to Optimization for Operations Research (1st Edition) by David B. Shmoys et al. Prepared a formal academic review evaluating the manuscript's technical accuracy, pedagogical effectiveness, organization, computational exercises, and overall suitability for university-level teaching.