After graduate work at North Carolina State University and a postdoctoral position at Florida State University, Dr. Hofmann spent time as an Assistant Research Scientist and an Assistant Professor in the Oceanography Department at Texas A&M University. In 1989, she left Texas A&M University to join the faculty at Old Dominion University as an Associate Professor. In 1995, she was promoted to Professor in the Department of Oceanography. In April 1996, Dr. Hofmann was the 12th recipient of the University Annual Research Award, which is given by Old Dominion University.

Dr. Hofmann is a member of the U.S. GLOBEC Science Steering Committee, the GLOBEC International Science Steering Committee, and the Ocean Studies Board of the National Research Council.

Research Interests Dr. Hofmann is recognized for her work on coupled physical-biological models. Her research interests cover a variety of topics, which range from mathematical modeling of marine ecosystems to descriptive physical oceanography. Currently she is working in two areas that are directly related to the goals of the Center. The first is the development of coupled circulation-population models that can be used to investigate the factors controlling the larvae and adults of the Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica. These models have been applied to a variety of estuarine systems to study the role of environmental conditions on structuring oyster populations. The second area of research involves the development of data assimilative models for investigating circulation and biological processes in coastal marine systems. The overall goal of this research is to develop a predictive capability for biological distributions in marine environments.