Dr. Alex Freiberg Named Associate Director of GNL

March 1, 2026 – Dr. Alexander Freiberg, a Professor in the Department of Pathology, has accepted an appointment as the new Associate Director of the Galveston National Laboratory (GNL). Dr. Freiberg is an important member of the UTMB faculty who has focused his research on Biosafety Level 4 pathogens while also serving as the Director of the Robert E. Shope BLS-4 Laboratory, the first BSL-4 laboratory built on a university campus. The Shope Lab is located within the GNL/Keiller complex.

In his new role as Associate Director of the GNL, Dr. Freiberg will expand his impact and work closely with GNL leadership on numerous initiatives, including strategic planning for the future to advance the laboratory’s continuing mission to support national infectious disease research priorities.

Throughout his career at UTMB, Dr. Freiberg has been a dedicated educator and mentor, teaching in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and mentoring numerous graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty. He also is a contributor to national and international scientific review panels and professional societies and participates as an active member of important UTMB committees that govern campus-wide research priorities.

Under his direction, his research team has been continuously supported with funding from NIH/NIAID, the Department of Defense, CEPI and industry partners, focusing on the testing and development of medical countermeasures including antivirals and vaccines for high consequence pathogens. He is an expert in viral pathogenesis and immunology, focusing his research on Nipah and Hendra viruses, Tick-borne encephalitis viruses, Rift Valley fever virus, and Filo-, Bunya-, Arena- and Flaviviruses. He has more than 223 publications in respected scientific journals and his work has been cited more than 9,000 times by other researchers. He is known as a collaborative, dedicated leader.

Before relocating to Texas, Dr. Freiberg received an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and his PhD in Physical Biochemistry while studying at the University of Potsdam in Potsdam, Germany.