March 2005

Richard Kuhn appointed Head of Department of Biological Sciences

Professor Richard J. Kuhn has been appointed as Head of the Department of Biological Sciences. In his previous role as Acting Head, which he has held since August 2004, Prof. Kuhn provided strong leadership in moving the Department forward and creating productive partnerships across campus.

Prof. Kuhn is a leading member of Purdue's Structural Biology group. He earned his PhD from SUNY Stony Brook in 1986 in Molecular Virology. He was a postdoctoral research fellow at the California Institute of Technology Division of Biology from 1987-1991. He joined the Department of Biological Sciences at Purdue University in 1992 and was promoted to full professor in 2002. His research is at the forefront of understanding the biology of viruses that infect humans. His group is examining how viruses such as Dengue and West Nile enter cells and re-direct the cellular machinery for their own advantage. Many of the viruses studied in his laboratory are important human pathogens with limited treatment options available to those infected. The research carried out by Prof. Kuhn and his colleagues in Structural Biology is fundamental for the subsequent development and application of novel vaccines and antiviral treatments, as recognized by recent $18 million awards by NIH.

Prof. Kuhn has received the Chiscon Undergraduate Teaching Award, has been designated the Novum Lecturer from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, and was recently appointed a Purdue University Faculty Scholar. He is involved in numerous editorial boards, study sections, and review panels in his field. He has mentored nine PhD graduates and has over 75 journal and review publications.

Serving with Prof. Kuhn are Associate Heads Peter Hollenbeck and Dennis Minchella and Assistant Head Nina Robinson.

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