Gunes is a Marie Curie Fellow and has received the Turkish Academy of Sciences Outstanding Young Scientist (TÜBA-GEBIP) Award in 2019. She is serving as the secretary of IEEE Satellite and Space Communications Technical Committee, the chair of the IEEE special interest group entitled “Satellite Mega-constellations: Communications and Networking” and also as an editor in several IEEE journals. She is a member of the IEEE WCNC Steering Board and a Distinguished Lecturer of Vehicular Technology Society Class of 2022. Her research interests include multi-functional space networks, space security, and wireless testbeds.