As a physicist, Becker worked on low-temperature plasmas and their applications and published more than 240 papers in peer reviewed journals. He pioneered the field of microplasmas and holds numerous patents on the stabilization of atmospheric-pressure plasmas and their technological applications, particularly in the areas of environmental remediation and biomedicine. He was involved in two startups that commercialized this technology, one of them was acquired by Stryker Instruments in 2005. Kurt Becker earned a Diplom in Physik (MS degree) and Dr. rer. nat. (PhD degree) from the Universität des Saarlandes, Saarbrücken, Germany in 1978 and 1981, respectively.
He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, and he is the recipient of the Dr. Eduard-Martin Prize for Excellence in Research from the Universität des Saarlandes, the Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award, the SASP Erwin Schrödinger Medal and the New York City & State Sustainability and Environmental Impact Award. He also holds an honorary Professorship at the Leopold
Franzens Universität Innsbruck, Austria.
