Mike Hooper is a biochemical toxicologist whose work focuses on transferring laboratory exposure and effect measurement techniques to field applications. He received a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of California at Davis in 1988 and has been working as a wildlife toxicologist in academia since that time. He is currently an associate professor of environmental toxicology in Clemson University's Institute of Wildlife and Environmental Toxicology (TIWET).

His research program emphasizes the study of chemical impacts on wildlife inhabiting chemically contaminated environments. Biochemical techniques are used to assess chemical exposure, effects and potential susceptibility in a wide variety of species. Of particular interest are the maturational patterns of contaminant-sensitive enzymes in developing young and the role they play in age-dependent toxicity. These techniques, when tied to field studies, help evaluate the safety and/or hazard of chemical pesticides, direct the remediation of contaminated ecosystems, and provide an endpoint in the assessment of remediation success.

Much of his work has been through the joint EPA/NIEHS Superfund Basic Research Program. Recently, he has been studying wild birds, particularly Swainson's hawks, in Latin America, examining both native and migrating species, their natural history and their interactions with pesticides. His efforts have focussed on bringing regulatory, industrial, non-governmental and academic research interests to bear on pesticide incident issues by developing interactions and consensus for action between these diverse interest groups.