A parasitologist and biochemist, Libor Grubhoffer has an international reputation of excellence in his fields and extensive history of collaboration and partnership with the University of Arizona (UA).
As past rector (president) of the University of South Bohemia – located in in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic – a position he held from 2012 - 2016, Grubhoffer helped establish programs that internationalize university students' education and strengthens cooperation between his university, other universities, and the Czech Academy of Sciences Institutes.
That spirit of collaboration began in 1989 when Grubhoffer accepted a postdoctoral position with Michael Wells, a UA biochemistry professor. Grubhoffer worked with students in the UA Undergraduate Biology Research Program, and was key in the development of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) proposal to fund international undergraduate research experiences.
Upon return to the Czech Republic, Grubhoffer became a foreign mentor for the UA’s Biomedical Research Abroad: Vistas Open (BRAVO!) Program. He hosted eight UA undergraduate BRAVO! students and one faculty member. The University of South Bohemia has maintained an institutional memorandum of agreement with the UA since 1993, and Grubhoffer has facilitated placement of UA undergraduates in laboratories with Czech scientists. In the summer of 2015, he made it possible for 10 UA undergraduates to work in laboratories with Czech scientists, as a part of the Prozkoumat! (Explore) Program.
Grubhoffer's scientific expertise is in the biochemistry and molecular biology of disease vectors. He maintains a research laboratory at the Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Parasitology and has secured 15 externally funded grants, including 10 that involved international projects. He has authored 120 scientific articles and serves on a variety of scientific and advisory boards.
Grubhoffer received a master's degree from Charles University in Prague and a doctoral degree from the Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
The honorary degree of Doctor of Science from the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences and College of Science will be bestowed on Dr. Grubhoffer at the 152nd University of Arizona Commencement Ceremony, to be held on Friday, May 13, 2016 at 7:30PM in Arizona Stadium.