Dexter Holland, frontman, rhythm guitarist, and lead songwriter for the California-based rock band The Offspring has added another item to his curriculum vitae, Doctor of Molecular Biology from the University of Southern California.
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Offspring frontman Dexter Holland has successfully completed his dissertation defense and will be graduating on on May 11 with a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Southern California.
Holland says he had started his Ph.D. work years ago but finally went back to finish, including the completion of his 175-page thesis on human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV.
“I am interested in virology and wanted to contribute in some small way to the knowledge which has been learned about HIV and AIDS. This terrible disease remains a worldwide epidemic – over 35 million people worldwide are currently infected and living with the HIV virus. Over one million people a year die from this disease,” Holland wrote in a post on the band’s website.
“My research is not meant to be a cure or even an immediate step toward a cure, but I believe that by adding to the vast amount of information that we’ve learned about HIV in the last 30 years or so, we’ll get there. Toward that end, I’m going to continue to do research, and you’ll probably see some of my research papers get published here and there over the next few years,” he added.
Despite his renewed enthusiasm for scientific research, Holland said the Offspring are still a focus and said the band would be releasing new material in the near future.
“See you on the road!” Holland concluded.