Eileen E. Hofmann

Eileen Hofmann is a Professor and Eminent Scholar in the Department of Ocean and Earth Sciences and a member of the Center for Coastal Physical Oceanography at Old Dominion University. Her primary research focuses on understanding physical-biological interactions in marine ecosystems. Her research has taken her to many parts of the ocean, including Antarctic coastal regions and the Southern Ocean. Her recent research focuses on understanding and predicting harmful algal blooms in Chesapeake Bay and understanding controls on shellfish population dynamics. Eileen’s interest in modeling shellfish populations began with a study of the effects of deepening and widening the Houston Ship Channel on eastern oyster populations in Galveston Bay. From this initial study, Eileen and her colleagues expanded their models to other oyster species, several clam species, abalone, and ocean quahogs. Along the way, the models for shellfish population dynamics were extended to include disease and disease transmission processes and the effects of climate change. Her current shellfish modeling studies consider the competing effects of climate change and offshore wind energy development on commercial shellfish species on the Middle Atlantic Bight continental shelf along the U.S. east coast. These model applications represent a progression that links shellfish population dynamics with climate change, fishing economics, and management. Eileen has been involved in several international global environmental change programs and serves as Co-Chair of the Southern Ocean Observing System. She is also Chair of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committee to evaluate the effects of offshore wind energy development on the hydrodynamics of the Nantucket Shoals region.