Kohls is currently appointed as a Research Associate Professor at the University of Tennessee Center for Transportation Research. He received his PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Tennessee in 2010. With a focus on workforce development and industry partnerships, Kohls developed and leads the Traffic Signal Academy, a program recommended by FHWA’s Arterial Management Program since 2012. Kohls has program management experience from his 10 years of work in Brazil and served as a Principal Investigator for several FHWA and TDOT projects. Kohls is a member of ITE and a reviewer for the TRB Traffic Signal Committee.