Hudson H. Freeze

Hudson (Hud) Freeze is Professor of Glycobiology and Director of the Human Genetics Program at the Sanford-Burnham-Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in La Jolla, Calif. He came to UC San Diego in 1969 as a graduate student in the Biology Department, earning his Ph.D. in 1975. He was a faculty member of the UC San Diego School of Medicine from 1983-88 and remains as an adjunct professor. The last 26 years of his research focused on the identification and understanding of human genetic disorders, specifically the congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG). His work contributed directly to the discovery of more than 145 CDGs. He collaborates closely with other glycobiologists, cell biologists, physicians, families, and their support organizations and regularly consults on CDG cases. He is passionate about communicating science to the public. In 1966, he isolated the first extreme thermophile, Thermus aquaticus (Taq), for which he won the 2013 Golden Goose Award for its revolutionary impact on biotechnology and medicine.