Rate My Professor Kurt Andresen

Kurt Andresen is the Ronald J. Smith Professor of Applied Physics and Chairperson of the Physics Department at Gettysburg College, where he has served since 2009, initially as Assistant Professor (2009-2015), then Associate Professor (2015-2020), and Professor since 2020. He holds an affiliate appointment in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Andresen earned a B.A. in Physics, cum laude, from Boston University in 2002 and a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Cornell University in 2007, with a thesis titled Counterion Competition around DNA in Solution Measured with Anomalous Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering. Earlier positions include Postdoctoral Teaching and Research Fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Colgate University (2007-2009), and research assistantships at Cornell University, Penn State University, and Boston University.

Andresen's research focuses on electrostatics in biological systems, particularly polyelectrolytes such as DNA, RNA, and nucleosomes, investigating DNA aggregation through reentrant condensation, nucleosome compaction, ion competition, and chromatin mechanics using small-angle x-ray scattering, single-molecule force spectroscopy, and inductively-coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. Key publications include Additive Modulation of DNA-DNA Interactions by Interstitial Ions (Biophysical Journal, 2020, co-corresponding author), Visualizing Disordered Single-Stranded RNA: Connecting Sequence, Structure, and Electrostatics (Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2020), Cation Dependent Electroosmotic Flow in Glass Nanopores (Applied Physics Letters, 2019, Editor’s Pick), Quantitative Analysis of Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy on Folded Chromatin Fibers (Nucleic Acids Research, 2015), Solution Scattering and FRET Studies on Nucleosomes Reveal DNA Unwrapping Effects of H3 and H4 Tail Removal (PLoS One, 2013), and Elucidating Inter-Nucleosome Interactions and the Roles of Histone Tails (Biophysical Journal, 2013). Funding achievements encompass the Single-Investigator Cottrell College Science Award (2011), multiple Gettysburg College Research and Professional Development Grants (2011-2015), and co-Principal Investigator on a National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation Award (2017). He teaches courses including Physics for Physics Majors I and II, Quantum Mechanics, Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics, The Physics of Life, and Advanced Research Methods in Physics. Service roles include Faculty Personnel Committee, HHMI Grant Committee Leadership Team, Department Diversity and Inclusion Liaison, NSF and journal reviewer (Nature Communications, Scientific Reports), and co-host of the higher education podcast The Ivory Attic. In 2023, he received the Ronald J. Smith endowed professorship.