Jeffrey S Kieft, PhD

  • Adjunct Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics

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Overview

Jeffrey (Jeff) S Kieft earned a BS in Chemistry at West Point, then served as an Army officer in Germany. After leaving active duty, Jeff obtained his PhD in Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley with Prof. Ignacio Tinoco and conducted post-doctoral research at Yale University with Jennifer Doudna. After one year as the AAAS Roger Revelle Fellow in Global Stewardship in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, he joined the faculty of the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

In 2009, he was selected as an HHMI Early Career Scientist Awardee. He has served as the Vice Chair of his department, Chair of an NIH study section, and is currently a Director of the RNA Society. In May 2023, Jeff became the Executive Director of the New York Structural Biology Center, one of the world’s premier centers for the development and practice of integrated structural biology.

Academic Appointments

  • Adjunct Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics

Credentials & Experience

Education & Training

  • BS, Chemistry , United States Military Academy at West Point
  • PhD, Chemistry, The University of California, Berkeley
  • Fellowship: Yale University

Committees, Societies, Councils

  • 2022 - 2023: Member of the Board Of Directors, The RNA Society
  • 2021 - 2023: Chair, National Institutes of Health Molecular Structure and Function A study section
  • 2001 - 2002: AAAS Roger Revelle Fellow, Global Stewardship, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

Honors & Awards

  • 2009: HHMI Early Career Scientist Awardee

Research

Dr. Kieft’s research focuses on understanding how RNA structure, RNA conformational changes, and complex intermolecular interactions combine to enable diverse RNA function. He is particularly interested in viral RNAs that form complex three-dimensional structures that interact with and manipulate the cellular machinery. The Kieft Lab uses a variety of approaches, including structural biology, biochemistry, biophysics, bioinformatics, and virology.

Research Interests

  • Biochemistry
  • Bioinformatics
  • Biophysics
  • RNA Biology
  • RNA Processing
  • Structural Biology
  • Virology

Selected Publications

  1. Spahn CM, Kieft JS, Grassucci RA, Penczek PA, Zhou K, Doudna JA, Frank J. Hepatitis C virus IRES RNA-induced changes in the conformation of the 40s ribosomal subunit. Science. 2001 Mar 9;291(5510):1959-62. doi: 10.1126/science.1058409. PMID: 11239155.
  2. Kieft JS, Zhou K, Jubin R, Doudna JA. Mechanism of ribosome recruitment by hepatitis C IRES RNA. RNA. 2001 Feb;7(2):194-206. doi: 10.1017/s1355838201001790. PMID: 11233977; PMCID: PMC1370078.
  3. Feser J, Truong D, Das C, Carson JJ, Kieft J, Harkness T, Tyler JK. Elevated histone expression promotes life span extension. Mol Cell. 2010 Sep 10;39(5):724-35. doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2010.08.015. PMID: 20832724; PMCID: PMC3966075.
  4. Kieft JS. Viral IRES RNA structures and ribosome interactions. Trends Biochem Sci. 2008 Jun;33(6):274-83. doi: 10.1016/j.tibs.2008.04.007. Epub 2008 May 28. PMID: 18468443; PMCID: PMC2706518.
  5. Kieft JS, Zhou K, Jubin R, Murray MG, Lau JY, Doudna JA. The hepatitis C virus internal ribosome entry site adopts an ion-dependent tertiary fold. J Mol Biol. 1999 Sep 24;292(3):513-29. doi: 10.1006/jmbi.1999.3095. PMID: 10497018.

For a complete list of publications, please visit PubMed.gov