Christos Papapanos

Christos Papapanos is a Ph.D. candidate in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. He conducts research in the Kanté Lab under the supervision of Professor Boubacar Kanté. Christos earned his Master of Engineering from UC Berkeley and his Bachelor of Science from the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), where he was recognized as the top graduate in Electronics and Systems with the Christos Halkias and George Kontaxis Excellence Awards. His diverse professional background includes a research internship at TU Wien, where he studied theoretical quantum optics, as well as industrial experience as a junior electrical engineer. He is also a recipient of the prestigious Onassis Foundation Scholarship.

Research

Developing high-performance, scalable light sources is a fundamental challenge for the future of optical communications, sensing, and quantum networking. Christos’ research focuses on the design and characterization of photonic crystal surface-emitting lasers (PCSELs), specifically the Berkeley Surface-Emitting Laser (BerkSEL). By combining theoretical modeling with rigorous experimental testing, he works to realize “infinitely scalable” laser architectures that overcome the power and size limitations of traditional semiconductor lasers. While his previous research involved investigating quantum light sources in silicon using cryogenic characterization, his current work focuses on advancing the fundamental physics and efficiency of large-scale lasers. His work combines deep theoretical analysis with direct experimental validation to advance the state of the art in nanophotonic devices.

Graduate Student

Bio

Research