Paul William Bohn (born 1955) is an American chemist who researches

molecular nanotechnology Molecular nanotechnology (MNT) is a technology based on the ability to build structures to complex, atomic specifications by means of mechanosynthesis. This is distinct from nanoscale materials. Based on Richard Feynman's vision of miniat ...

. He is a fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

Royal Society of Chemistry The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is a learned society and professional association in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemistry, chemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the Chemical Society, the ...

, and

Society for Applied Spectroscopy The Society for Applied Spectroscopy (SAS) is an organization promoting research and education in the fields of spectroscopy, optics, and analytical chemistry. Founded in 1958, it is currently headquartered in Albany, New York. In 2006 it had abou ...

, as well as a co-

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

of the ''

Annual Review of Analytical Chemistry The ''Annual Review of Analytical Chemistry'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes an annual volume of review articles relevant to analytical chemistry. It was established in 2008 and is published by Annual Reviews. As of 2023, it i ...

''.

Early life and education

Paul William Bohn was born in 1955 in Kentucky to parents Catherine and Joseph Robert Bohn. He grew up with one brother. He attended the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

, graduating in 1977 with a bachelor's degree in chemistry. He then attended the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

for a PhD in chemistry, graduating in 1981.

Career

Bohn’s PhD training focused on the

analytical chemistry Analytical skill, Analytical chemistry studies and uses instruments and methods to Separation process, separate, identify, and Quantification (science), quantify matter. In practice, separation, identification or quantification may constitute t ...

of resist materials for

x-ray lithography X-ray lithography is a process used in semiconductor device fabrication industry to selectively remove parts of a thin film of photoresist. It uses X-rays to transfer a geometric pattern from a mask to a light-sensitive chemical photoresist, or ...

. His research primarily addresses

, particularly

nanofluidics Nanofluidics is the study of the behavior, manipulation, and control of fluids that are confined to structures of nanometer (typically 1–100 nm) characteristic dimensions (1 nm = 10−9 m). Fluids confined in these structures exhibit ...

, combined

electrochemistry Electrochemistry is the branch of physical chemistry concerned with the relationship between Electric potential, electrical potential difference and identifiable chemical change. These reactions involve Electron, electrons moving via an electronic ...

and

fluorescence spectroscopy Fluorescence spectroscopy (also known as fluorimetry or spectrofluorometry) is a type of electromagnetic spectroscopy that analyzes fluorescence from a sample. It involves using a beam of light, usually ultraviolet light, that excites the electro ...

of low-volume samples, nanophotonic/

nanoelectronic Nanoelectronics refers to the use of nanotechnology in electronic components. The term covers a diverse set of devices and materials, with the common characteristic that they are so small that inter-atomic interactions and quantum mechanical p ...

devices, such as the electrochemical

zero-mode waveguide A zero-mode waveguide is an optical waveguide that guides light energy into a volume that is small in all dimensions compared to the wavelength of the light. Zero-mode waveguides have been developed for rapid parallel sensing of zeptolitre sample ...

, and multimodal

chemical imaging Chemical imaging (as quantitative – ''chemical mapping'') is the analytical capability to create a visual image of components distribution from simultaneous measurement of spectra and spatial, time information. Hyperspectral imaging measures con ...

microbial communities Microbial population biology is the application of the principles of population biology to microorganisms. Distinguishing from other biological disciplines Microbial population biology, in practice, is the application of population ecology and popu ...

. After finishing his PhD, Bohn worked at

Bell Labs Nokia Bell Labs, commonly referred to as ''Bell Labs'', is an American industrial research and development company owned by Finnish technology company Nokia. With headquarters located in Murray Hill, New Jersey, Murray Hill, New Jersey, the compa ...

Murray Hill, New Jersey Murray Hill is an unincorporated community located within portions of both Berkeley Heights and New Providence, located in Union County, in the northern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the longtime central location of Bell ...

in the Special Materials Group from 1981 to 1983. In 1983, he accepted a faculty position as an assistant professor at

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...

; in 1989 he was promoted to associate professor, and in 1992 he became a full professor. He was head of its chemistry department from 1994 to 1999. In 2001 and 2002 he was the Interim Vice Chancellor for Research. He was the Centennial Professor of the Chemical Sciences from 2003 to 2006, at which point he joined the

as the Arthur J. Schmitt Professor. Together with Xiuling Li, he developed metal assisted chemical etching
MacEtch
for the preparation of high aspect-ratio solid state nanostructures. He also pioneered nanopore electrode arrays for single entity measurements as well as the electrochemical zero-mode waveguide. He previously served as Editor of ''Analyst'' and is currently co-editor of the ''

''. He is the founding Director of th
Berthiaume Institute for Precision Health
the Director of th
Center for Bioanalytic Metrology
– an NS
Industry-University Cooperative Research Center
and a founding member of th
Indiana Consortium for Analytical Science and Engineering
He has also served as Program Chair, Chair, and Immediate Past Chair of th
Analytical Division of the American Chemical Society

Awards and honors

He received the Coblentz Award in 1990 for his contributions to molecular

spectroscopy Spectroscopy is the field of study that measures and interprets electromagnetic spectra. In narrower contexts, spectroscopy is the precise study of color as generalized from visible light to all bands of the electromagnetic spectrum. Spectro ...

, awarded to scientists younger than 36. He was also the recipient of th
Pittsburgh Spectroscopy Society
Award in 2004, the 200
Bomem-Michelson Award
from the

Coblentz Society The Coblentz Society is a non-profit scientific organization named after William Weber Coblentz which is involved in fostering the understanding and application of vibrational spectroscopy. The Society provides education, awards and recognitions ...

, the 2010

Theophilus Redwood Theophilus Redwood (9 April 1806 – 5 March 1892) was a Welsh pharmacist who was one of the founding members of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. He was born in Boverton, Llantwit Major. In 1820 he was apprenticed to his brothe ...

Award from the

. He is the only person to have received the American Chemical Society Award i
Spectrochemical Analysis
(1997) an
Electrochemistry
(2017), and he is the recipient of the 202
Charles N. Reilley Award
of the Society for Electroanalytical Chemistry. He is an elected Fellow of the

, and

. He was named one of the world’s 20 Most Influential Analytical Scientists in 2019 by
The Analytical Scientist
'.

Personal life

He is married to Raylene Bohn and has two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bohn, Paul W Living people 1955 births Chemists from Kentucky American chemists University of Notre Dame alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Scientists at Bell Labs University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty University of Notre Dame faculty Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Reviews (publisher) editors