# Walter Kohn

_American physicist (1923–2016)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/walter-kohn
Last updated: 2026-11-01

> Walter Kohn was an Austrian-American theoretical physicist and theoretical chemist. He was awarded, with John Pople, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1998. The award recognized their contributions to understanding the electronic properties of materials. In particular, Kohn played the leading role in the development of density functional theory, which made it possible to calculate quantum mechanical electronic structure by equations involving the electronic density. This computational simplification led to more accurate calculations on complex systems as well as many new insights, and it has become an essential tool for materials science, condensed-phase physics, and the chemical physics of atoms and molecules.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 9 March 1923 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q78510#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Vienna ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q78510#P19))
- **Died:** 19 April 2016 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q78510#P570))
- **Place of death:** Santa Barbara ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q78510#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Canada; United States ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q78510#P27))
- **Occupation:** physicist; university teacher; chemist ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q78510#P106))
- **Education:** University of Toronto; Harvard University; Akademisches Gymnasium ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q78510#P69))
- **Awards:** UNESCO Niels Bohr Medal; Grand Officer of the Order of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria; Nobel Prize in Chemistry; Harvard Centennial Medal; Three Physicists Prize; Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize; Feenberg Medal; National Medal of Science; honorary doctor of the University of Vienna; Austrian Decoration for Science and Art; honorary doctor of the Dresden University of Technology; honorary doctorate of the Weizmann Institute of Science; Davisson–Germer Prize in Atomic or Surface Physics; Foreign Member of the Royal Society; honorary doctor of Harvard University ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q78510#P166))

## Questions

**When was Walter Kohn born?**  
Walter Kohn was born on 9 March 1923 in Vienna.

**Where did Walter Kohn study?**  
Walter Kohn was educated at University of Toronto, Harvard University, Akademisches Gymnasium.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Walter Kohn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Kohn) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q78510](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q78510) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: WalterKohnGraz21042006 1.jpg by Jtk33 (CC BY-SA 3.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WalterKohnGraz21042006_1.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Walter Kohn, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: WalterKohnGraz21042006 1.jpg — Jtk33, CC BY-SA 3.0.

## Cite this page

"Walter Kohn". DigiNepal. Last updated 1 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/walter-kohn. Retrieved 5 November 2026.