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Sunil Karna

Dr. Sunil Karna
Assistant Professor of Physics
PhD, Physics, National Central University, Tiawan
Email: skkarna@nsu.edu
Phone: (757)451-7716
Office: MCAR 501I
555 Park Ave
Norfolk, VA 23504

 

Brief Biography
Dr. Sunil K. Karna earned his Ph.D. in Experimental Condensed Matter Physics from National Central University, Taiwan, in 2011. Following his doctorate, he served as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at National Central University (2011–2014) and as a Research Scientist at the Center for Condensed Matter Sciences, National Taiwan University (2014–2017). In 2017, Dr. Karna moved to the United States to join Louisiana State University as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. He later served as a Research Assistant Professor at Norfolk State University (2020–2022) and as an Assistant Professor at Prairie View A&M University (2022–2025) before rejoining Norfolk State University in 2025.
He has secured major research funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Defense (DoD), including an NSF Excellence in Research award and a DoD instrumentation grant. Dr. Karna has also served as a visiting faculty member at Oak Ridge, Argonne, and Los Alamos National Laboratories. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in journals such as Physical Review B, Nano Letters, and Scientific Reports, and has reviewed research proposals for NSF, DOE, ANSTO, and several international neutron facilities.


Research Interests
Dr. Karna’s research focuses on quantum materials and emergent spin phenomena, particularly in non-centrosymmetric and chiral magnets that host exotic spin textures such as skyrmions and helical magnetic states. His work explores the interplay between symmetry, topology, and magnetism in strongly correlated electron systems, seeking to uncover novel mechanisms that govern their magnetic and transport properties. He is particularly interested in the synthesis and characterization of high-quality single crystals using advanced techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Laue diffraction, and physical property measurements (PPMS). To probe magnetic and structural correlations at the microscopic level, his research employs neutron and synchrotron scattering methods. Ultimately, Dr. Karna aims to advance the understanding of topological and quantum magnetic materials for future spintronic and quantum technological applications.
 

Awards and Recognition

  • Outstanding Early Researcher Award, Prairie View A&M University (2025).
  • Outstanding Faculty Researcher – STEM Award, Prairie View A&M University (2024).

Selected publications (40 publications)
Full list available on Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com.tw/citations?user=So5I9_MAAAAJ&hl=en

  • H. Zhen, P. Ma, H. Yang, F. Meng, D. Tristant, T. Cui, H. Lei, Sunil Karna, Z.-Y. Lu, and Z. Liu, “Hund’s Rule Coupling and Interlayer Hybridization of Intercalated Transition Metal Dichalcogenides”. Communication Materials 6, 220 (2025).
  • F. N. Womack, A. M. Ortega, S. K. Karna, D. Graf, and P. W. Adams, "The Proximity Effect and Critical Field Behavior of Re/Al Bilayers". Mater. Res. Express 12, 046001 (2025).
  • C. Dhital, R. L. Dally, R. Ruvalcaba, R. Gonzalez-Hernandez, J. Guerrero-Sanchez, H. B. Cao, Q. Zhang, W. Tian, Y. Wu, M. D. Frontzek, S. K. Karna, A. Meads, B. Wilson, R. Chapai, D. Graf, J. Bacsa, R. Jin, J.F. DiTusa, "Multi-k magnetic structure and large anomalous Hall effect in candidate magnetic Weyl semimetal NdAlGe". Phys. Rev. B 107, 224414 (2023).
  • C.-W. Wang, Sunil K. Karna, S. Yano, C.-H. Lee, M. Avdeev, C. S. Lue, and C. N. Kuo, “Magnetic properties and noncollinear spin structure of the tin-rich stannide Ho5Co6Sn18”. Phys. Rev. B 105, 104429 (2022).
  • Sunil K. Karna, C.-W. Wang, R. Sankar, D. Temple, and M. Avdeev, “Commensurate and incommensurate magnetic structure of the moderately frustrated antiferromagnet Li2M(WO4)2 with M = Co, Ni”. Phys. Rev. B 104, 134435 (2021).
  • Sunil K. Karna, M. Marshall, W. Xie, L. DeBeer-Schmitt, D. P. Young, I. Vekhter, W. A. Shelton, A. Kovacs, M. Charilaou, and J. F. DiTusa “Annihilation and control of chiral domain walls with magnetic fields” Nano Lett. 21, 1205-1212 (2021). (Highlighted by DOE: https://www.energy.gov/science/bes/articles/scientists-take-control-magnetism-microscopic-level )
  • Sunil K. Karna, D. Tristant, J. K. Hebert, G. Cao, R. Chapai, W. A. Phelan, Q. Zhang, Y. Wu, C. Dhital, Y. Li, H. B. Cao, W. Tian, C. R. Dela Cruz, A. A. Aczel, O. Zaharko, A. Khasanov, M. A. McGuire, A. Roy, W. Xie, D. A. Browne, I. Vekhter, V. Meunier, W. A. Shelton, P. W. Adams, P. T. Sprunger, D. P. Young, R. Jin, and J. F. DiTusa “Helical magnetic order and Fermi surface nesting in non-centrosymmetric ScFeGe”. Phys. Rev. B 103, 014443 (2021).
  • Sunil K. Karna, F. N. Womack, R. Chapai, D. P. Young, M. Marshall, W. Xie, D. Graf, Y. Wu, H. Cao, L. DeBeer-Schmitt, P. W. Adams, R. Jin and J. F. DiTusa “Consequences of magnetic ordering in chiral Mn1/3NbS2” Phys. Rev. B 100, 184413 (2019). (Highlighted in the PRB webpage). (https://journals.aps.org/prb/kaleidoscope/prb/100/18/184413).