Walter Kohn(German pronunciation:[ˈvaltɐˈkoːn]; March 9, 1923 – April 19, 2016)was an Austrian-Americantheoretical physicistandtheoretical chemist. He was awarded, withJohn Pople, theNobel Prize in Chemistryin 1998.The award recognized their contributions to understanding the electronic properties of materials. In particular, Kohn played the leading role in the development ofdensity functional theory, which made it possible to calculatequantum mechanicalelectronic structure by equations involving theelectronic density(rather than the many-bodywavefunction). 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. Fields: Physics, Chemistry Education: University of Toronto BA MA Harvard University PhD