
Dr. Marissa Enid Morales-Rodriguez is a scientist native from Puerto Rico. For the past 10 years she has worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the area of sensor development and automation. Currently, she serves as the principal investigator and project manager for ORNL’s Sustainable Electricity Program. Her projects are focused on research and development of cyber-physical sensors and controls for the smart grid to increase security, reliability and resilience. Energy is vital for modern society and the current challenges this sector is facing requires the development of new technology to minimize disruptions on electricity delivery. It is of critical importance to continue studying the cyber-physical challenges associated with the introduction of new devices to our electric grid. In her research, Marissa, incorporates the implementation of strategic technologies to mitigate such challenges before they become risks. Her interests include the transition of a centralized system to a decentralized smart grid including new sensing and automation systems, with data analytics and strategies for data security. Marissa is the author/coauthor of over 16 publications, 2 patents issued and winner of 2019 R&D 100 Award.