Dr. Jeremy Hoffman

Dr. Jeremy Scott Hoffman is a pioneering climate scientist and community engagement leader whose groundbreaking work bridges academic research with grassroots environmental justice initiatives. Currently serving as Director of Impact Evaluation and Community Science at Groundwork USA and Affiliate Faculty at the University of Richmond's Department of Health Studies, Dr. Hoffman has established himself as a national authority on urban heat islands, climate health equity, and community-driven climate science.

Dr. Hoffman earned his Ph.D. in Geology and Paleoclimatology from Oregon State University in 2016, where he also completed a Graduate Certificate in College Teaching and Informal Science. His academic foundation began at Augustana College, where he graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Geosciences in 2011. This rigorous training in earth sciences provided the technical expertise that would later inform his innovative approaches to understanding and addressing urban climate challenges.

As a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow at Oregon State University, Dr. Hoffman demonstrated early leadership in science communication and community outreach. His commitment to making climate science accessible extended through his role as Climate Science Communication Fellow at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, where he designed hands-on learning experiences that brought paleoclimate research directly to public audiences.

Dr. Hoffman's career trajectory took a distinctive turn toward applied climate justice when he joined the Science Museum of Virginia in 2016. As Climate & Earth Science Specialist and later as the David and Jane Cohn Chief Scientist, he pioneered community-centered approaches to understanding urban heat exposure. His most notable achievement during this period was leading the award-winning Richmond Urban Heat Island Collective in 2017, which became a model for community science initiatives nationwide. This work demonstrated how resident-led data collection could reveal hyperlocal climate patterns while building community capacity for climate adaptation.

Under Dr. Hoffman's scientific leadership, the Richmond heat island project evolved into a comprehensive research program examining the intersection of historical housing policies, urban design, and climate vulnerability. His research revealed how redlining and other discriminatory practices created lasting environmental health disparities, work that has been published in high-impact journals and cited extensively in climate equity policy discussions. This research expanded to include collaborative urban heat assessments in over 10 cities, establishing Dr. Hoffman as a leading voice in community-driven climate science.

Dr. Hoffman's grant leadership has been exceptional, securing over $2 million in federal and philanthropic funding as principal or co-principal investigator. Notable awards include a $600,000 National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant for green infrastructure that transformed a parking lot into a 3-acre shaded park, and a $315,000 NOAA Environmental Literacy Program grant that established Richmond's first community-driven climate resilience forum. His ability to build multi-sector partnerships spanning nonprofit organizations, government agencies, academic institutions, and community groups has been central to his success.

In his current role at Groundwork USA, Dr. Hoffman has scaled his community science model nationally, developing impact evaluation standards across a 21-location network of community-based organizations. His innovative drone-based heat mitigation assessment framework represents a significant advancement in green infrastructure evaluation, providing direct evidence of health benefits from urban forestry and microforest installations. The training programs he created have engaged over 170 participants, including youth, nonprofit staff, and resident action group members from frontline communities.

Dr. Hoffman's academic contributions extend beyond research through his teaching excellence at the University of Richmond, where he developed the university's first climate and health curriculum focused on Planetary Health Learning Objectives. His courses, including "Protecting Health in a Changing Climate" and "Planetary Health," consistently receive outstanding student evaluations (median ratings of 4.8/5 and 4.7/5 respectively), with students showing significant learning gains across all planetary health competencies.

Recognition of Dr. Hoffman's impact includes prestigious honors such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellowship (2021), the Grist 50 Fixer Award (2020), and the Nancy Hanks Rising Star Award from the American Alliance of Museums (2023). His influence extends to major policy initiatives, including scientific advisory roles for Virginia's Carbon Sequestration Task Force, Richmond's comprehensive master plan, and the National Integrated Heat Health Information System.

Dr. Hoffman's scholarly contributions include over 20 peer-reviewed publications and his role as contributing author to the Fifth National Climate Assessment. His research consistently demonstrates how community-engaged science can simultaneously advance academic knowledge and support environmental justice outcomes.

Through his unique combination of rigorous scientific training, innovative community engagement methods, and policy influence, Dr. Hoffman represents a new generation of climate scientists committed to ensuring that research directly serves communities most affected by climate change. His work exemplifies how academic excellence and social justice can be mutually reinforcing, creating more effective and equitable approaches to climate adaptation and resilience.