John L. Kohl

John L. Kohl is a Senior Astrophysicist in the Solar, Stellar, and Planetary Sciences Division at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, in Cambridge, MA. His research specialties include space based spectroscopic experiments to study the acceleration and evolution of solar wind streams and coronal mass ejections.

Dr. Kohl originated ultraviolet spectroscopy of the extended solar corona and, with co-workers, developed and utilized instrumentation and several spectroscopic diagnostic techniques aimed at determining temperatures, densities, outflow velocities and elemental abundances for protons, electrons, and minor ions in the solar wind acceleration region of the solar corona. In laboratory astrophysics, he experimentally determined the basic atomic parameters required for the analysis of astrophysical observations, including the parameters for dielectronic recombination, electron impact excitation, photoionization, and autoionization.

Kohl received his B.S. in physics in 1963 from Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio. He received his M.S. (1966) and Ph.D. (1969) in physics from the University of Toledo.

In 1969, he joined Harvard University as as a Research Fellow. From 1972-1977, he was a research associate and in 1977 became an associate of the Harvard College Observatory and a Lecturer on Astronomy. That same year, he also became an astrophysicist with the Smithsonian Astronomical Observatory. In 1995, he was promoted to Senior Astrophysicist.

He is the Principal Investigator of the following scientific programs: Advanced Solar Coronal Explorer (ASCE) Mission, Spartan Investigation, and UVCS/SOHO Investigation. He is Lead Scientist of the SAO Experimental Atomic Collision Physics Group.

Dr. Kohl is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, and has received many awards.