Dr. Benjamin Freedman is a tenured Professor (pending rank) in the Department of Cell and Systems Biology, at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He serves as Vice Chair for Research for the department. Dr. Freedman is also Co-Director of the Healthy Aging Initiative within the Peggy and Harold Katz Family Drug Discovery Center.
Dr. Freedman graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, double majoring in Biochemistry and Biology. He received his Ph.D. in Cell and Developmental Biology in 2009 from the University of California at Berkeley. He was a postdoc and junior faculty at Harvard Medical School, before joining the University of Washington in 2015. In 2026, he was recruited to the University of Miami for a leadership position.
Dr. Freedman conducts fundamental biomedical research into the cell biology of disease and regeneration. He utilizes human pluripotent stem cells and other model systems to understand organogenesis and disease. Freedman is one of the original inventors of human kidney organoids, also known as mini-kidneys. He was the first investigator to apply kidney organoids to model cyst formation in polycystic kidney disease. His lab has since developed a variety of mini-kidney disease models, with ongoing studies related to cystinosis, ciliopathies, glomerular disorders, and kidney regeneration.
In addition to his academic appointment, Dr. Freedman is the CEO and founder of Plurexa, a biotechnology company, which seeks to improve therapy development using mini-organs and related technology.
The lab welcomes opportunities to apply for funding or collaborate to conduct sponsored research. One way you can help is to consider a tax-deductible donation dedicated to our lab at the University of Miami. We also welcome inquiries from the media regarding our discoveries and perspectives. Dr. Freedman’s CV is available upon request. We receive a lot of e-mail, so please do not contact us with solicitations for products or services.
Contact:
Benjamin S. Freedman, Ph.D.
bfreedman (at) miami
