Rate My Professor Kurt Andresen

Kurt Andresen is the Ronald J. Smith Professor of Applied Physics in the Physics Department at Gettysburg College, where he joined as Assistant Professor in 2009, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2015, and to full Professor in 2020. He also holds an affiliate appointment in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology since 2019 and serves as coordinator of the Cross-Disciplinary Science Institute. Andresen earned his B.A. in Physics, cum laude, from Boston University in 2002 and his Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Cornell University in 2007, with a dissertation on counterion competition around DNA measured using anomalous small-angle X-ray scattering. His postdoctoral experience includes a teaching and research fellowship at Colgate University from 2007 to 2008, as well as visiting researcher positions at Leiden University in 2013 and Cambridge University in 2018.

Andresen's research centers on electrostatics in biological systems, focusing on DNA aggregation, nucleosome compaction, and polyelectrolyte interactions. His lab investigates ion competition, DNA packing in viruses and chromatin fibers, and related biophysical phenomena using small-angle X-ray scattering, single-molecule force spectroscopy, and other techniques, with implications for cellular processes such as stem cell differentiation. Notable publications include "Additive Modulation of DNA-DNA Interactions by Interstitial Ions" (Biophysical Journal, 2020), "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), and "Solution Scattering and FRET Studies on Nucleosomes Reveal DNA Unwrapping Effects of H3 and H4 Tail Removal" (PLoS One, 2013). He has received the Cottrell College Science Award and contributes through peer review for NSF and journals including Nature Communications, committee service on faculty advisory and inclusion groups, and invited lectures at institutions like Cambridge University and Biophysical Society meetings. Andresen co-hosts the Higher Education podcast "The Ivory Attic" and employs research-informed pedagogy in physics teaching to promote equity.