He is currently the John S. and Sherry Chen Professor of Environmental Science at the California Institute of Technology.
[1] Hoffman obtained his bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and a doctorate from Brown University, followed by postdoctoral research at the California Institute of Technology.
He subsequently joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota until 1980, when he returned to Caltech as an associate professor.
[2] In 2016, Hoffman became Theodore Y. Wu Professor of Environmental Science, which he held until his 2018 appointment as John S. and Sherry Chen Professor of Environmental Science.
[3][4] In 2011, Hoffman was elected member of the United States National Academy of Engineering "for oxidative treatment technologies for the removal of organic and inorganic contaminants from water.