By MC2 Michael Ehrlich

NPS Professor of Physics Gamani Karunasiri is pictured at his Spanagel Hall office, Oct. 14. Karunasiri was recently named an American Physical Society (APS) fellow. He is well known for his work developing quantum detectors and micro-sensors.

"I was not expecting this," said Karunasiri who was made a fellow after his first nomination to the APS. Only .5 percent of APS members are named fellows. Karunasiri is the second NPS professor to earn the distinction.

"I'm an experimentalist working primarily on sensors in three different areas, one of which is THz imaging [similar to the scanners used by airports]," said Karunasiri. "I think we have created a very good sensor. Now we need to package it for field use."

Karunasiri has mentored five PhD students, supervised more than forty master's students, and co-supervised many others.

"They are the next generation. I need to train them to do research properly. That is why I always go down to the lab to participate with them," said Karunasiri. "It is important for them to think independently. I guide them in the beginning and then let them carry [the work] forward."