People

Principal Investigator

Sampath Gamage

Assistant Professor of Nanoscience

Dr. Gamage joined the Department of Nanoscience at the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering (JSNN) at UNC Greensboro in Fall 2025. His research combines adaptive functional materials, oxide electronics, organic–inorganic hybrid thin films, nanofabrication, device physics, and nanoscale characterization. He earned his Ph.D. in Physics from Georgia State University and previously held research appointments at the University of Georgia and Linköping University in Sweden.

Graduate Students

Nipuna Bandara

Ph.D. Student, Nanoscience

Nipuna Bandara is a PhD student in Nanoscience who joined JSNN in Fall 2026. He earned his BSc and MPhil degrees in Physics from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Before joining JSNN, he was a research assistant in the Advanced Materials Research Laboratory at the University of Peradeniya, where he contributed to CdS/CdTe thin-film solar-cell research. His current work focuses on the fabrication and characterization of thin-film materials for electronic applications. Outside the lab, he enjoys cricket and traveling.

Samuditha Yatiwella

Ph.D. Student, Nanoscience

Samuditha Yatiwella joined JSNN in Fall 2026 as a PhD student in Nanoscience. He earned a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, and an MS in Chemistry from the University of South Carolina (USC). Before joining JSNN, he served as an instructor in USC’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. His research investigates frontier materials for thin-film fabrication. He enjoys traveling and sports like soccer, cricket, volleyball, etc., during his free time.

Co-advised Graduate Students

Robert Bofah-Buoh

Ph.D. Student, Nanoscience

Robert Bofah-Buoh is a PhD student in Nanoscience at JSNN, co-advised by Prof. Hemali Rathnayake. He joined the program in Fall 2025. He holds a BSc in Materials Engineering from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana, and an MSc in Environmental Engineering from Hohai University, China. His research focuses on molecular magnetic materials for potential neuromorphic-device applications. Outside of his academic work, he enjoys playing soccer.

Atikur Rahman

Ph.D. Student, Nanoengineering

Atikur is a Ph.D. student in Nanoengineering at North Carolina A&T State University. He has been co-advised by Prof. Masud Chowdhury since Fall 2025. He earned his B.S. in Bangladesh and conducts research on oxide thin films.

Shravani Mangu

Ph.D. Student, Nanoscience

Shravani Mangu joined JSNN in Fall 2026 as a PhD student in Nanoscience, co-advised by Prof. Hemali Rathnayake. She earned her undergrad degree in Chemical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology Warangal, India, where she worked on the synthesis of perovskite structures. Before beginning her PhD, she spent 3.5 years at Hindalco Industries, Aditya Birla Group, India, working in alumina refinery on process engineering and greenfield and brownfield projects. Her research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of metal–organic frameworks and their applications. During her free time, she enjoys doing Bharatnatyam, traveling, and reading.

Summer Interns

Jordan Ufot

SemiBELLS Summer Intern

Jordan is a senior undergraduate student at Western Carolina University and a SemiBELLS Summer Intern in the Gamage Lab. During Summer 2026, he worked on the deposition and characterization of oxide thin films.

Shrimaan Rapuru

Draelos Scholar

Shrimaan is a rising senior at The Early College at Guilford in Greensboro, North Carolina. During his internship, he worked on the mechanical exfoliation and characterization of two-dimensional materials.

Collaborators

Dr. Swapnil Nalawade

Collaborator

Dr. Swapnil Nalawade is a member of Prof. Shyam Aravamudhan’s group in the Department of Nanoengineering at the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering. His research focuses on the deposition and characterization of oxide materials.