{"id":566,"date":"2025-10-23T21:00:51","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T21:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visual.siu.edu\/?page_id=566"},"modified":"2026-01-14T08:56:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T08:56:10","slug":"team","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/visual.siu.edu\/index.php\/team\/","title":{"rendered":"Team"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ inner_shadow=”on” fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ background_color=”#6C0633″ use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_direction=”330deg” background_color_gradient_stops=”#2ea3f2 0%|#2e6df4 100%” background_color_gradient_start=”#2ea3f2″ background_color_gradient_end=”#2e6df4″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_fullwidth_header title=”Meet the Project Team” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ title_font=”PT Serif||||||||” content_font=”PT Serif||||||||” content_line_height=”1.3em” background_color=”#4D0424″ global_colors_info=”{}” button_one_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off”]<\/p>\n

We are a multidisciplinary research team came together to advance STEM education and research through innovation. The team have expertise from diverse fields, including physics, geology, astronomy, teacher education, computer science, and VR\/AI technologies. By partnering with industry leaders and STEM educators, we bridge the gap between academic standards and practical applications.\u00a0 These collaborations ensure our initiatives are aligned with evolving technological and educational needs.\u00a0 Together, we are hoping to make a meaningful and lasting impact on STEM education and research\u2014both in Southern Illinois and beyond.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ specialty=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#f7f7f7″ ab_goal=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_sidebar _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” body_font=”|600||||on|||” body_font_size=”25px” body_line_height=”1.2em” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_sidebar][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ specialty_columns=”3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_row_inner column_structure=”1_3,1_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”3px|||||” ab_subject=”on” ab_subject_id=”1″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column_inner type=”1_3″ saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blurb title=”Poopalasingam Sivakumar, Ph.D.” url=”https:\/\/www2.physics.siu.edu\/~pskumar\/” url_new_window=”on” image=”https:\/\/visual.siu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/PSK.png” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”PT Serif|600|||||||” header_font_size=”17px” header_line_height=”1.3em” body_font=”PT Serif|300|||||||” body_font_size=”16px” body_line_height=”1.2em” width=”100%” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Associate Professor of Physics at SIU, focusing experimental and computational approaches in laser spectroscopy and bio-nanotechnology with expertise in data-driven modeling and programming.
Phone: (618) 453-2227
Email: psivakumar@siu.edu<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column_inner][et_pb_column_inner type=”1_3″ saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blurb title=”Harvey Henson, Ph.D.” url_new_window=”on” image=”https:\/\/visual.siu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/harvey-at-carterville-fossil-site2_v3.jpg” image_icon_width=”98%” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”PT Serif||||||||” body_font=”PT Serif||||||||” body_font_size=”16px” body_line_height=”1.2em” custom_margin=”1px||1px||false|false” custom_padding=”1px||0px||false|false” link_option_url=”https:\/\/stemedresearch.siu.edu\/” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Director of the STEM Education Research Center, Associate Professor of Science Education and Geology at SIU. Specializations include STEM education research and program evaluation, teacher professional development, evidence-based instructional design, assessment, applied geophysics and geosciences.
Phone: (618) 453-4214
Email: henson@siu.edu<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column_inner][et_pb_column_inner type=”1_3″ saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blurb title=”Koushik Sinha, Ph.D.” url=”https:\/\/academics.siu.edu\/computing-and-technology\/computer-science\/faculty\/sinha-koushik.php” image=”https:\/\/visual.siu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Koushik-Sinha-Profile-Photo_v2.jpg” image_icon_width=”77%” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”PT Serif||||||||” body_font=”PT Serif||||||||” body_font_size=”16px” body_line_height=”1.2em” border_radii_image=”off||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Associate Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Next Generation Networks and Systems (NGNS) Lab within the School of Computing at SIU. His expertise lies in wireless networking, space-based networking and computing, high performance computing and software systems design.
Phone: (618) 453-3922
Email: koushik.sinha@siu.edu<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][et_pb_row_inner column_structure=”1_3,1_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”3px|||||” ab_subject=”on” ab_subject_id=”2″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column_inner type=”1_3″ saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blurb title=”Poopalasingam Sivakumar, Ph.D.” url=”https:\/\/www2.physics.siu.edu\/~pskumar\/” url_new_window=”on” image=”https:\/\/visual.siu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/PSK.png” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”PT Serif|600|||||||” header_font_size=”17px” header_line_height=”1.3em” body_font=”PT Serif|300|||||||” body_font_size=”16px” body_line_height=”1.2em” width=”100%” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Associate Professor of Physics at SIU, focusing experimental and computational approaches in laser spectroscopy and bio-nanotechnology with expertise in data-driven modeling and programming.
Phone: (618) 453-2227
Email: psivakumar@siu.edu<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column_inner][et_pb_column_inner type=”1_3″ saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blurb title=”Harvey Henson, Ph.D.” url_new_window=”on” image=”https:\/\/visual.siu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/harvey-at-carterville-fossil-site2_v3.jpg” image_icon_width=”98%” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”PT Serif||||||||” body_font=”PT Serif||||||||” body_font_size=”16px” body_line_height=”1.2em” custom_margin=”1px||1px||false|false” custom_padding=”1px||0px||false|false” link_option_url=”https:\/\/stemedresearch.siu.edu\/” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Director of the STEM Education Research Center, Associate Professor of Science Education and Geology at SIU. Specializations include STEM education research and program evaluation, teacher professional development, evidence-based instructional design, assessment, applied geophysics and geosciences.
Phone: (618) 453-4214
Email: henson@siu.edu<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column_inner][et_pb_column_inner type=”1_3″ saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blurb title=”Koushik Sinha, Ph.D.” url=”https:\/\/academics.siu.edu\/computing-and-technology\/computer-science\/faculty\/sinha-koushik.php” image=”https:\/\/visual.siu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Koushik-Sinha-Profile-Photo_v2.jpg” image_icon_width=”77%” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”PT Serif||||||||” body_font=”PT Serif||||||||” body_font_size=”16px” body_line_height=”1.2em” border_radii_image=”off||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Associate Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Next Generation Networks and Systems (NGNS) Lab within the School of Computing at SIU. His expertise lies in wireless networking, space-based networking and computing, high performance computing and software systems design.
Phone: (618) 453-3922
Email: koushik.sinha@siu.edu<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][et_pb_row_inner column_structure=”1_3,1_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”3px|||||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column_inner type=”1_3″ saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blurb title=”Corinne Brevik, Ph.D.” url=”https:\/\/www2.physics.siu.edu\/~pskumar\/” url_new_window=”on” image=”https:\/\/visual.siu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CBrevik_research_room.jpg” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”PT Serif|600|||||||” header_font_size=”17px” header_line_height=”1.3em” body_font=”PT Serif|300|||||||” body_font_size=”16px” body_line_height=”1.2em” width=”100%” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Associate Professor of Physics at SIU.\u00a0 Her research areas include astronomy, radiation in the environment, and physics education.\u00a0 She leads yearly international study abroad trips for students to experience total solar eclipses.
Phone: (618) 453-3659
Email: corinne.brevik@siu.edu<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column_inner][et_pb_column_inner type=”1_3″ saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column_inner][et_pb_column_inner type=”1_3″ saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][et_pb_row_inner _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column_inner saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_heading title=”Graduate Students” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” title_font=”PT Serif||on|||on|||” title_text_color=”#4D0424″ title_font_size=”28px” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_heading][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][et_pb_row_inner column_structure=”1_3,1_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column_inner type=”1_3″ saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blurb title=”Dhulakshi Karuna Hewage” url=”https:\/\/www2.physics.siu.edu\/~pskumar\/people.html” image=”https:\/\/visual.siu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Dhulakshi_v2.jpg” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”PT Serif||||||||” header_font_size=”17px” body_font=”PT Serif||||||||” body_font_size=”16px” body_line_height=”1.2em” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

Ph.D. student in Applied Physics at SIU, exploring the physics of biological systems through molecular dynamics simulations and computational modeling of complex biomolecular interactions.
Phone: (618) 453-3344<\/span>
Email: dhulakshi.karunahewage@siu.edu<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column_inner][et_pb_column_inner type=”1_3″ saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blurb title=”Praveena Satkunam” url=”https:\/\/www2.physics.siu.edu\/~pskumar\/people.html” image=”https:\/\/visual.siu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Praveena-scaled.jpeg” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”PT Serif||||||||” header_font_size=”17px” body_font=”PT Serif||||||||” body_font_size=”16px” body_line_height=”1.2em” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Ph.D. student in Applied Physics at SIU, focus on working on experimental biomedical physics, particularly exploring nanostrcture-enhanced spectroscopy for sensitive detection of biological markers in biomedical applications.
Phone: (618) 453-3344<\/span>
Email: praveena.satkunam@siu.edu<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column_inner][et_pb_column_inner type=”1_3″ saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blurb title=”Sandaruka Jayasooriya Archchilage” url=”https:\/\/www2.physics.siu.edu\/~pskumar\/people.html” image=”https:\/\/visual.siu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Sandaruka_v2.jpg” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”PT Serif||||||||” header_font_size=”17px” body_font=”PT Serif||||||||” body_font_size=”16px” body_line_height=”1.2em” global_colors_info=”{}”]Ph.D. student in Applied Physics at SIU, experimental biomedical research focused on spectroscopy-based cancer biomarker detection and improving diagnostic precision and sensitivity.
\nPhone: (618) 453-3344
\nEmail:\u00a0 sandaruka.jayasooriyaarachchilage@siu.edu[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][et_pb_row_inner column_structure=”1_3,1_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column_inner type=”1_3″ saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blurb title=”Manuka Malshan Silva Sinharage” image=”https:\/\/visual.siu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Manuka.jpg” _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”EB Garamond||||||||” body_font=”EB Garamond||||||||” body_line_height=”1.2em” custom_margin=”|-20px||||” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]PhD student in Applied Physics at SIU, focusing computational materials physics and computational biophysics. Research involves using DFT and molecular dynamics to study molecular-level behavior in materials and biological systems.
\nPhone: (618) 527-2850
\nEmail: manukamalshansilva.sinharage@siu.edu[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column_inner][et_pb_column_inner type=”1_3″ saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column_inner][et_pb_column_inner type=”1_3″ saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We are a multidisciplinary research team came together to advance STEM education and research through innovation. The team have expertise from diverse fields, including physics, geology, astronomy, teacher education, computer science, and VR\/AI technologies. By partnering with industry leaders and STEM educators, we bridge the gap between academic standards and practical applications.\u00a0 These collaborations ensure […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-566","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/visual.siu.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/566","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/visual.siu.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/visual.siu.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visual.siu.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visual.siu.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=566"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/visual.siu.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/566\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":927,"href":"https:\/\/visual.siu.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/566\/revisions\/927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/visual.siu.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}