Fans love to hear new news from artists that they love. Dexter Holland, of The Offspring, has finally completed the goal he has been working on since before his band released the best-selling independent record of all time, Smash, back in 1994. That goal involved him stepping away from The Offspring for a short time recently to wrap up his PhD in Molecular Biology. According to CBS LOCAL, Holland announced to his fans that he will be graduating from USC (University Of Southern California) on May 11th and finally, he has published his dissertation titled “Discovery of Mature MicroRNASequences within the Protein-Coding Regions of Global HIV-1 Genomes: Predictions of Novel Mechanisms for Viral Infection and Pathogenicity,” finally, because the research paper is 175 pages long.

Years ago, fans will remember that Holland decided to step away from pursuing his degree to go on tour with The Offspring. Holland had this to say about his research:

“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,” He continued, “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.”

Originating in Huntington Beach California, The Offspring were formed in 1984 using the name Manic Subsidal. To date they have sold over 40 million records worldwide and released 9 albums.

Fans should keep their hopes high because The Offspring is currently on tour and with the completion of his education, this could lead to the creation and release of new music for fans all over to hear.

Photo credit: Marisa Rose Ficara