Rate My Professor Keith Cohn

Keith Ryan Cohn is an Associate Professor in the Physics Department at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), also listed as Senior Lecturer, having joined in 2009. His academic journey began with a B.S. in Physics and Chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin in 2000. He then pursued graduate studies at Stanford University, earning an M.S. in Physics in 2003 and a Ph.D. in Physics in 2007. Following his doctorate, Cohn served as a Postdoctoral Scholar at Stanford from 2007 to 2009 before accepting his current position at NPS.

At NPS, Cohn's primary academic specialty is directed energy. His research interests encompass high-energy laser (HEL) weapons, atmospheric propagation effects, optical turbulence induced by ships and platforms, and relative motion impacts on laser beam performance. He leads and contributes to several key projects funded by the NPS Naval Research Program and Office of Naval Research, including "High Energy Weapon Physics-Based Analysis for Naval Platforms" (2015), "Novel Methods of Measuring Atmospheric Turbulence for Laser Weapons" (2024), "Directed Energy Laser Weapon Testbed for Naval Education" (2024), "Atmospheric Technical Support for HELCAP" (2025), and "Workforce Development for Directed Energy" (2025). In recognition of his contributions, Cohn, along with colleagues Joseph Blau and William Colson, received the prestigious 2015 Association of Old Crows Technology Development Award in the directed energy category. This award highlights the NPS Physics Department's 25-year impact on directed energy and electronic warfare research, including the education of nearly 100 graduates who now hold influential positions in the Navy's directed energy programs. Cohn's efforts have directly supported advancements such as modeling for laser-equipped naval vessels and demonstrations of solid-state laser viability in real-world conditions.