Dr. Kohl received his Ph.D. in 2015 with Dr. Denise Dearing at the University of Utah, performed postdoctoral studies at the Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Argentina with Dr. Enrique Caviedes-Vidal, and at Vanderbilt University with Dr. Seth Bordenstein, and joined the Department in 2017.
While broadly interested in ecology and evolution, Dr. Kohl’s research tends to focus on the physiological ecology and microbial ecology of the digestive system. He is especially interested in how hosts' ecology and evolutionary history shape their digestive physiology and interactions with their gut microbial communities. His past work has focused on how the gut microbial communities of herbivorous mammals and lizards help them to cope with the nutritive challenges of an herbivorous diet (low protein, high fiber, plant toxins).