Michaela Hoffmeyer graduated Summa Cum Laude from Louisiana State University in Shreveport with a B.S. in Biological Sciences. She moved to Austin , Texas shortly after graduation and enrolled in the Cellular and Molecular Biology Graduate Program at the University of Texas , Austin . Upon obtaining her M.A. from UT Austin, Mrs. Hoffmeyer took a position in assay development at Luminex Corp. in Austin . She currently works in the Biology Research and Development performing feasibility assay design as well as working to improve xMAP technology using.

Mrs. Hoffmeyer has almost 10 years of laboratory research experience. Starting as an undergraduate, her research focused upon optimizing emulsion polymerization protocols used in the production on porous polystyrene for radiopharmaceutical production. Later she investigated the contribution of neutrophil mediated oxidant degranulation in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury at LSU Health Sciences Center . At UT Austin her, graduate research centered on the contribution of RhoC GTPase cancer cell invasion and metastasis in inflammatory breast cancer. Though a cell biologist by training, her graduate studies utilized novel in vivo imaging techniques and she was co-advised by biomedical engineering faculty members as part of the NSF funded Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) fellowship in bio-optics. Throughout her research tenure, she has published 10 peer-reviewed papers and received several awards.

While attending UT Austin, Mrs. Hoffmeyer acted as a teaching assistant for upper division cell biology courses and enjoyed the experience. “It was really nice to have students that were excited about the material and shared my own passion for cell biology” she says. Seeking a similar group of students with the same enthusiasm, she came to Austin Community College and is now teaching BITC2441 Molecular Biology Techniques. “Having worked in so many different fields I have a wide biotechnology skill set. It will be nice to pass on what I have learned from my years in the lab.”