Simone Hoffmann's research centers on how key mammalian features such as large brain size, a keen sense of smell, and high-frequency hearing evolved. Her research combines data from the paleontological record with information drawn from living mammals utilizing high-resolution CT scanning, soft tissue staining, and 3-D reconstruction software. She contributes to the discovery of new fossils and is actively involved in fieldwork on the under explored southern hemisphere. Her most recent field involvement has been with the Mahajanga Basin project in the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar.
Hoffmann graduated from the University of Bonn in Germany in 2010, with an M.S. in Geology and Paleontology. In the same year, she was admitted to Stony Brook University where she received a M.S. in Biomedical Sciences in 2013 and a Ph.D. in Anatomy in 2016.
Recent Projects/Research
- Evolution of the sensory systems in mammals
- Systematics of early mammals
- Cretaceous mammals from Madagascar
Publications
- Hoffmann S. Inner ear morphology in gondwanatherian mammals and implications for ear evolution in Mammaliaformes. 2016 The 11th International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology, Bethesda, Md.
- Yohe, LR, Curtis AA, Rosenthal H*, Hoffmann S, Martin KR, Davalos-Alvarez LM. 2016. The curious case of the vomeronasal organ in bats: genetics asks questions only anatomy can answer. The 11th International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology, Bethesda, Md.
- Hoffmann S, Krause DW, Kirk EC. 2015. Inner ear morphology in a new Late Cretaceous Malagasy mammal indicates convergence in cochlear evolution. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Program with Abstracts:144–145.
- Hoffmann S, O'Connor PM, Kirk EC, Wible JR, Krause DW. 2014. Endocranial and inner ear morphology of Vintana sertichi (Mammalia, Gondwanatheria) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar; pp. 110–137 in Krause DW (ed.) Vintana sertichi (Mammalia, Gondwanatheria) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Memoir 14. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 34(6, Supplement).
- Krause DW, Hoffmann S, Wible JR, Kirk EC, Schultz JA, Koenigswald Wv, Groenke JR, Rossie JB, O'Connor PM, Seiffert ER, Dumont ER, Holloway WL, Rogers RR, Rahantarisoa LJ, Kemp AD, Andriamialison H. 2014. First cranial remains of a gondwanatherian mammal reveal remarkable mosaicism. Nature 515:512–517.
- Kirk EC, Hoffmann S, Kemp AD, Krause DW, O'Connor PM. 2014. Sensory anatomy and sensory ecology of Vintana sertichi (Mammalia, Gondwanatheria) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar; pp. 203–222 in Krause DW (ed.), Vintana sertichi (Mammalia, Gondwanatheria) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Memoir 14. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 34(6, Supplement).
Courses Taught at New York Tech
- LBD 507 Foundations of Osteopathic Medicine
Professional Honors and Awards
- President's Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Graduate Student, Stony Brook University
- Turkana Basin Institute Graduate Fellowship
- Norman Creel Prize for Outstanding Student Research in Anatomical Sciences
- Taylor & Francis Award for Best Student Article in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology