F. Jon Kull

F. Jon Kull '88 serves as Dean of the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies at Dartmouth College and holds the prestigious Rodgers Professorship in Chemistry. As an active faculty member in the Chemistry Department, he leads a research laboratory focused on understanding protein structure and function at the molecular level using X-ray crystallography and complementary biophysical techniques. His dual leadership roles position him at the intersection of academic administration and cutting-edge scientific research.

Dr. Kull earned his A.B. in Chemistry from Dartmouth College, graduating magna cum laude and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He completed his Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the University of California, San Francisco, where his groundbreaking work included solving the first structure of a kinesin motor domain in 1996, published in Nature.

His research program spans two primary areas of investigation: structural analysis of bacterial virulence gene regulatory proteins and fine-tuning the catalytic cycle of kinesin motors. In bacterial pathogenesis research, his laboratory focuses on Vibrio cholerae, investigating the structural and functional characteristics of regulatory proteins involved in virulence gene expression. This work has significant implications for developing therapeutics against cholera and other enteric bacterial infections. In molecular motor research, his lab studies kinesin proteins to understand the detailed mechanism of force generation, with applications in developing treatments for diseases involving motor protein defects.

Analysis of his recent publications (2012-2021) reveals a strong focus on bacterial virulence mechanisms, particularly in Vibrio cholerae and enterotoxigenic E. coli, with increasing emphasis on identifying and characterizing small molecule inhibitors of virulence regulators. His structural biology approach consistently combines X-ray crystallography with functional studies to provide mechanistic insights into protein function.

• The Rodgers Professor at Dartmouth College, Endowed Chair (2012)
• Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning Faculty Fellow (2012)
• Gridley Faculty Fellow (2011)
• Dean of the Faculty Award for Outstanding Mentoring and Advising (2010)
• Linda B. and Kendrick R. Wilson III Fellow (2007)
• Education Fellow in the Life Sciences by the National Academies (2006)
• March of Dimes Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Research Award (2003)

Dr. Kull has mentored numerous graduate and undergraduate students through the Kull Laboratory, with alumni including Justin Cruite, Jessica Day, Britney Privett, and Anne Woodbrey. His current research team includes Research Assistant Professor Charles R. Midgett and graduate students Jessica D. Tolbert and Minje Kim. The laboratory's work on bacterial virulence regulation has been supported by grants investigating structural mechanisms of virulence gene expression in Vibrio cholerae, with potential applications for developing novel anti-infective strategies that target virulence rather than viability.

The Kull Laboratory maintains active research programs in two main areas: structural analysis of bacterial virulence gene regulatory proteins (particularly AphA, AphB, ToxR, ToxS, ToxT, and HapR in Vibrio cholerae) and investigation of kinesin motor mechanics. The laboratory employs X-ray crystallography as its primary tool, complemented by spectroscopy, calorimetry, small angle X-ray scattering, kinetics studies, NMR, and computational methods to study macromolecular structure-function relationships.