John Kielkopf entered the University of Louisville as an early-admissions student in 1963 before finishing high school. He received a B.S. in Physics with highest honors in 1966 and an M.S. in Physics in the same year by participating in the accelerated master's degree program. He was selected as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow, and with support from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation and the National Science Foundation he received a Ph.D. in physics from The Johns Hopkins University in 1969. He joined the faculty of the University of Louisville as an Assistant Professor that year and became a full Professor in 1977. He has been an Associate Research Scientist at Hopkins, a Visiting Scientist at Argonne National Laboratory, and an Adjunct Astronomer at the Observatory of Paris - Meudon. In 1997 he received the University's President's Award for Outstanding Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity, and in 2006 he received the College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Service Award for Service to the Profession.
He directs the Space Technology Center for National Security Research Signature Exploitation program at the University of Louisville, a collaboration between the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering to develop high speed ``smart'' imaging sensor arrays for the U.S. Air Force. These devices combine quantum noise limited sensitivity in the near infrared with real-time multi-processor signal analysis, and have applications in space-based surveillance, the protection of aircraft from surface-to-air missiles, astronomical adaptive optics, and medical imaging.
His research on the spectra of white dwarf and brown dwarf stars is in collaboration with Dr. Nicole Allard of the Observatory of Paris in Meudon, France. Current studies use astronomical and laboratory spectroscopy, the theory of atomic spectral line shapes, and the theory of radiative transport in stellar atmospheres to determine the physical conditions in these objects.
His interest in astronomy education and research experience for undergraduates led to the development in 1978 of Moore Observatory located in the University's Horner Wildlife Refuge in nearby Oldham County. The observatory houses a 0.6-meter Ritchie-Chretien telescope, the most technically advanced research telescope in Kentucky. NASA grants for the Digital Science Partnership and Taking Astronomy to the School's projects to the University of Louisville and Northern Kentucky University enabled a collaboration with the University of Southern Queensland's Mt. Kent Observatory to develop and operate remotely a pair high technology 0.5-meter corrected Dall-Kirkham robotic telescopes, one in Australia and the other in Kentucky. These instruments are available over Internet2 for use by teachers and graduate, undergraduate and pre-college students.
Helen and John Kielkopf own Hidden Hollow Orchard and a surrounding conservation area and wildlife sanctuary bordering Floyd's Fork on the outskirts of Louisville. Their daughter, Clara Kielkopf, is an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of Rochester.
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