“I was fascinated by how humans come to understand themselves and make sense of their social world,” Hoffman said. “I knew I wanted to learn more about the processes and mechanisms behind human thought and behavior.”

After graduating from Quinnipiac, Hoffman earned his PhD in developmental psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and later completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He is currently a research fellow in the Department of Psychology at North Carolina State University.

Hoffman’s work focuses on the development of ethnic, racial and gender identities in adolescents, and how they can be shaped to improve academic motivation and achievement and mental health.

“The ideas I developed at Quinnipiac provided the foundation for what I would study as a graduate student and even today as a psychologist,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman has returned to Quinnipiac to share his research with faculty and students at the psychology department’s annual spring speaker event. He also has offered advice and encouragement at alumni panels to undergraduate students who are developing their own research ideas.

“It is so rewarding and meaningful to come back to my intellectual ‘home’ and share the research that I have completed since my time at Quinnipiac,” Hoffman said.

College of Arts and Sciences

BS in Psychology