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I have posted several times in the past about fish enrichment and how I am a huge proponent. The journal Applied Animal Behavior Science recently published a study focusing on the use of artificial aquarium plants as a source of enrichment. Full reference at the bottom of the post.
If you follow the blog, you’ve probably read posts about cichlid enrichment, something I am big proponent of. Fish enrichment considerations are a natural extension of a larger focus, fish welfare. As a hobbyist who is sensitive to my fishes’ wellbeing, fish welfare studies involving aquarium fish are of great interest to me. Earlier this year, I was searching for some articles on fish welfare and I came across the work of today’s interviewee.
In 2019, I interviewed a faculty member at the University of Texas in Austin, who I discovered was doing some cutting edge cichlid research. That interview was very informative and ultimately led to his second interview today.
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Hans Hofmann |
In 2016, while looking for a new interviewee for the blog, I ran across the website of a research laboratory at the University of Texas, Austin. I checked out the website, looked at a few of the lab’s publications, and it became quickly obvious to me that the lab’s director, Dr. Hans Hofmann, was someone I needed to interview. I reached out to Dr. Hofmann, introduced myself, and asked him if he would be interested in doing an interview for the blog. He replied within a couple of days and happily agreed. We began the interview process, but work caught up with him, and we weren’t able to get it completed. So fast forward to the present, and we did a complete reboot of the original interview. |
Since receiving his Ph.D. in biology from the University of Leipzig in Germany, Dr. Hofmann has received numerous fellowships and awards for his work at the University of Texas, Stanford University, Harvard University, and the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. In addition to running the Hofmann lab at the University of Texas, he has served as Director of UT’s Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics and UT’s Center for Biomedical Research Support. He has given over 130 invited keynote lectures and seminars but has also given numerous public outreach presentations.
Needless to say, getting Dr. Hofmann to take time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions with me was a real bonus. Outstanding stuff ahead. Buckle in!
