His research is at the interface of applied mathematics and population ecology. He models the dynamics of biological populations and has worked on the behavior of integrodifference equations – discrete-time, continuous-space models for the growth and spread of biological populations. Kot is the author of two books, Elements of Mathematical Ecology and A First Course in the Calculus of Variations. He has an M.S. in theoretical and applied mechanics from Cornell University, an M.S. in applied mathematics from the University of Arizona and an M.S. and Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Arizona.