Karl Hudspith (born 31 March 1988 in Hammersmith, London), is a British rower and scientist. Hudspith competed in four Boat Races from

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

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for Oxford, and was a member of the winners' team on three occasions. Hudspith competed for

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically atta ...

at Junior, Under-23, Student, and Senior levels and is a two time World University Rowing Champion. He completed his PhD at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

where he developed a

next-generation sequencing Massive parallel sequencing or massively parallel sequencing is any of several high-throughput approaches to DNA sequencing using the concept of massively parallel processing; it is also called next-generation sequencing (NGS) or second-generation s ...

based diagnostic test for inherited retinal degeneration before beginning a legal career in American

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...

law in

Washington DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Rowing career

Hudspith learned to row at

Hampton School Boat Club Hampton School Boat Club (HSBC) is the rowing club of Hampton School. Each year the club produces 1st VIIIs that compete at Championship level in the United Kingdom. The club hosts two Head race events each year. History The club was foun ...

, where he represented

in his final year at the 2006 Junior World Championships. Hudspith would go on to represent Great Britain at the 2008, 2009, and 2010

World Rowing U23 Championships World Rowing U23 Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 ("FISA" , ) is a United States federal law that establishes procedures for the physical and electronic sur ...

, the 2013

World Rowing Cup The World Rowing Cup is an international rowing competition organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation). It began in 1997 and comprises three regattas (apart from in 2001 when there were four) held throughout early summer. In each even ...

, and the 2010 and 2014 FISU World University Rowing Championships. Hudspith was in the five seat of the winning Oxford Blue boat at the 2011 Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race. For the 2012 season Hudspith was elected president of the Oxford University Boat Club, and rowed in the five seat during the controversial 2012 Boat race which was disrupted by a protester. Hudspith rowed in the six seat for the 2013 boat race, which Oxford won by a length and a half. Hudspith competed in his fourth boat race in 2014 in the three seat, winning by eleven lengths, the largest winning margin in 41 years.

Science career

Hudspith obtained his bachelor's degree in Biology at

Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University (formerly known as Oxford Polytechnic (United Kingdom), Polytechnic) is a public university, public university in Oxford, England. It is a new university, having received university status through the Further and High ...

, before completing a PhD in Clinical Neurosciences at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. During Hudspith's Doctoral work he helped develop a next-generation sequencing based DNA diagnostic test for patients with inherited retinal degenerations which was introduced into the NHS in Oxfordshire. Hudspith was part of the team that discovered that mutations in the ''PIGQ'' and ''CBL'' genes are a cause of

Ohtahara syndrome Ohtahara syndrome (OS), also known as early infantile epileptic encephalopathy (EIEE) is a progressive epileptic encephalopathy. The syndrome is outwardly characterized by tonic spasms and partial seizures within the first few months of life, and ...

, a rare and fatal form of early-onset epilepsy. Hudspith completed his post-doctoral fellowship at the

Wilmer Eye Institute The Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute, also referred to as the Wilmer Eye Institute, is a component of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Ophthalmologist William Holland Wilmer opened the Wilmer Eye Institute in 1925. Its home was co ...

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

. Hudspith worked in the lab of Dr Mandeep Singh with the aim of developing a stem-cell based regenerative medicine treatment for inherited retinal degenerations. He was the 2015 and 2018 recipient of the Juliette RP Vision Foundation Young Scientist Award.

Legal career

Hudspith joined the law firm of

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati is an American international law firm that specializes in business, securities, and intellectual property law. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, the firm provides legal services to technology, life sciences ...

as a scientific adviser in January 2019. Hudspith is part of the firm's patents and innovation practice in the life sciences

Personal life

Hudspith grew up in

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, and attended

Hampton School Hampton School (formerly Hampton Grammar School) is an independent boys' day school in Hampton, Greater London, England. It is regarded as one of the top independent schools in the country. Hampton School’s A-Level and GCSE results in 2021 ...

. He currently lives in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and is married to Lauren Hudspith.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hudspith, Karl Living people 1988 births Alumni of St Peter's College, Oxford British people of Serbian descent British male rowers Rowers from Greater London English male rowers Oxford University Boat Club rowers