Dr. Hulleman was born and raised in Wisconsin and completed his undergraduate and graduate schooling in the Midwest. He obtained dual B.A. degrees in Biology and Chemistry from the University of St. Thomas (Cum Laude) and a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology from Purdue University. As a postdoc in Jeffery Kelly and Bill Balch’s labs, Dr. Hulleman began to explore how protein misfolding impacts eye diseases including rare retinal dystrophies that resemble age-related macular degeneration (AMD) the leading cause of irreversible blindness of the elderly in industrialized nations.
He continued to pursue new retinal therapies as an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in the Department of Ophthalmology, there securing numerous grants from the NIH, BrightFocus Foundation, Research to Prevent Blindness, and philanthropic sources. In 2023, he moved to the University of Minnesota where he is the Larson Endowed Chair for Macular Degeneration and a tenured Associate Professor. He is a member of the Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics (MPaT) and Comparative Molecular Biosciences (CMB) Graduate Programs.
He and his family are avid Green Bay Packer fans. In his free time, Dr. Hulleman works as a part-time chauffeur shuttling his kids to soccer practices, games, and tournaments. He enjoys cooking, gardening, and the scenic outdoors of Minnesota, especially the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.
