Donald David Stull was born in Sebree, Kentucky, on June 25th, 1946. He earned a B.A. from the University of Kentucky in 1968, an M.A. from the University of Colorado-Boulder in 1970, and his PhD from UC-Boulder in 1973. He continued on to earn a Masters in Public Health from the University of California at Berkeley in 1975.

Also in 1975, Stull joined the faculty at the University of Kansas, remaining there until his retirement in 2015. His scholarship has been wide-ranging, including many collaborative research projects, but can be generalized into two broad subjects: contemporary Native American cultures, and the issues surrounding rural industrialization and the meatpacking industry.

Stull's published books include Slaughterhouse Blues, which had more than one edition, and was also published in a Japanese language edition. Stull served as co-editor of the journal Culture and Agriculture in 1996-1997 and editor-in-chief of the applied science journal Human Organization from 1999-2004. He was president of the Society for Applied Anthropology from 2005-2007.

In 2001 Donald Stull was presented with the Key to Garden City, Kansas and made an honorary citizen of that city due to his research contributing to the progress and quality of life for those citizens.

Stull retired from the University of Kansas in 2015 after 40 years of service.