When Hoffman came to Purdue in 1959 to earn his doctorate in mechanical engineering, after earning a bachelor’s and master’s at Texas A&M University, he found a home for 42 years.

He earned his PhD in 1963, was named an assistant professor the same year, an associate professor in 1965 and full professor in 1973. In 1989, he became director of the Thermal Sciences and Propulsion Center, the propulsion lab adjacent to Purdue Airport. On the occasion of the lab's 50th anniversary in 1998, Hoffman led the effort to rename the lab in honor of its founder, Maurice J. Zucrow. Now known as the Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratories, the 24-acre complex is the largest academic propulsion lab in the world. Hoffman served as its director until his retirement in 2001.

During his tenure, Hoffman guided the work of 38 doctoral students, and countless other graduate students at Zucrow Labs. He also taught computational fluid dynamics, gas dynamics, and numerical methods. He published four books, more than 50 journal articles, and was frequently asked to present at meetings and symposiums.

Hoffman also spent time as a visiting research physical scientist at the Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory at Edwards Air Force Base in California, was a visiting professor at the University of Colorado, and a development engineer for Aerojet-General Corporation in Sacramento, California.