Rate My Professor Paul Kohl

Paul A. Kohl is Regents' Professor, Institute Fellow, and holder of the Thomas L. Gossage/Hercules Inc. Chair in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He received a B.S. degree in Chemistry from Bethany College in 1974 and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from The University of Texas in 1978. From 1978 to 1989, Kohl was employed at AT&T Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey, where he developed new chemical processes for silicon, compound semiconductor, and MEMS devices, as well as electronic packaging for Bell system components. In 1989, he joined the Georgia Institute of Technology faculty in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, advancing to his current professorial roles. Kohl has served in prominent leadership positions, including past President of The Electrochemical Society, past Editor of the Journal of The Electrochemical Society, founding editor of Electrochemical and Solid-State Letters, and Director of the Semiconductor Research Corporation/DARPA Interconnect Focus Center.

Kohl's research centers on new materials and processes for advanced interconnects in integrated circuits and electrochemical devices for energy conversion and storage. Key contributions include anion-exchange membranes enabling high power densities of 3.5 W/cm² in hydrogen/oxygen fuel cells and over 2000 hours of stability in anion exchange membrane fuel cells, as detailed in publications such as 'Anion-Exchange Membranes in Electrochemical Energy Systems' (Energy & Environmental Science, 2014), 'Achieving High-Performance and 2000 h Stability in Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells' (Advanced Energy Materials, 2020), and 'Water Dynamics, Water Structure, and Ion Transport in an Anion Exchange Membrane' (Nature Communications, 2025). His group also develops self-immolative polymers for transient electronics, solid polymer electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries, and high-efficiency alkaline electrolyzers. Kohl holds 67 U.S. patents, 46 owned by Georgia Tech, spanning electrochemical processes, fuel cells, batteries, and photoetching semiconductors. His honors include Electrochemical Society Fellow (2002), Carl Wagner Award (2001), Thomas J. Callinan Award (2008), College of Engineering Outstanding Achievement as an Inventor (2023), AIChE Fellow, Regents' Professor, and Regents' Entrepreneur (2025). Through patents, publications, and leadership, Kohl has profoundly influenced electronic packaging, MEMS, and sustainable energy technologies.