About
Jon Kull is Dean of the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies and the Rodgers Professor of Chemistry at Dartmouth College. He holds a B.A. in Chemistry from Dartmouth College (Magna cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa) and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of California, San Francisco. As dean, he has led the transition of the Guarini School into a formal academic entity, expanding graduate education programs and fostering interdisciplinary research.
His research focuses on structural biology and biophysics, particularly bacterial virulence gene regulation (e.g., Vibrio cholerae) and molecular motor proteins like kinesins. His lab uses techniques such as X-ray crystallography, NMR, and computational modeling. Key research areas include understanding how regulatory proteins control virulence in pathogens and elucidating the catalytic cycles of kinesin motors.
Awards include the Rodgers Professorship, National Academies Education Fellowship, and a March of Dimes Starter Scholar Award. Under his leadership, the Guarini School supports nearly 1,000 graduate students and 250 postdocs across advanced degrees like the Master of Energy Transition and Ph.D. programs. Kull also mentors students in chemistry and molecular biology, with current advisees including Jessica Tolbert and Minje Kim.
Laboratory efforts target structural insights into bacterial virulence regulators (e.g., ToxT, AphB) and kinesin force-generation mechanisms. Recent projects include identifying small-molecule inhibitors for enteric pathogens and elucidating fatty acid signaling in cholera pathogenesis.
