Dr. Gubbi Sudhakaran currently serves as Professor of Physics and Associate Dean of the College of Science and Health at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (UWL). Prior to joining the UWL faculty in 1993, Dr. Sudhakaran taught at the State University of New York, Oswego, and at the University of Idaho. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Idaho where he specialized in Far-Infrared Laser Stark Spectroscopy. He has received several teaching awards including the Innovations in the Teaching of Physics Award, and the Excellence in Teaching Physics at the University Level Award from the Wisconsin Association of Physics Teachers (WAPT). He has also received several research and educational grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Dr. Sudhakaran served as councilor to the Physics and Astronomy Division of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) for four, three-year terms. He also serves as the Associate Director of Research for the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium (WSGC) and as a member of the WSGC Executive Committee. He served as the Conference Chair for the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) hosted by the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse on April 16-18, 2009 and on April 11-13, 2013. He also served on the American Physical Society (APS) National Committee on Education for a two-year term beginning January 1, 2009. He served on the just-concluded APS “Effective Practices for Physics Programs (EP3)” National Task Force Committee and currently serves on the EP3 Editorial Board.

Dr. Sudhakaran has been the driving force in the revitalization of the Physics Program at UWL and has received national recognition for introducing innovative curricula and programs. He has been invited to present papers on the revitalization of the UWL Physics Program at a number of colleges, universities, and national conferences (including AAPT, APS, and PKAL). The UWL Physics Program was featured in an article entitled “Why Many Undergraduate Physics Programs Are Good but Few Are Great” published in the September 2003 issue of Physics Today by the National Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Education. The UWL Physics Program was also honored with the UW System 2004 Regents Teaching Excellence Award and the 2013 APS Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Education.