Benjamin S. Freedman PhD

Dr. Benjamin S. Freedman, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a core faculty member of the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine. He is also affiliated with the Kidney Research Institute, where he leads a research program focused on kidney disease modeling and regeneration. Freedman’s work centers on the use of human pluripotent stem cells to create advanced laboratory models of kidney development and disease. His lab has pioneered the generation of kidney organoids—miniaturized, functional “kidney-in-a-dish” systems—that enable the study of conditions such as polycystic kidney disease and nephrotic syndromes, as well as the discovery of new therapeutic approaches.

He earned his PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, and completed postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital. Freedman has received numerous honors for his contributions to nephrology and regenerative medicine, including awards from the American Society of Nephrology and the National Institutes of Health. His research aims to bridge fundamental stem cell biology with clinical applications, advancing the development of regenerative therapies and precision treatments for kidney disease.