Hunter G. Hoffman PhD

Hunter Hoffman, Ph.D. is Director of the Virtual Reality Research Center at the University of Washington in Seattle. He conducted pre-graduate human memory and perception research at Princeton University and was visiting faculty at Stanford University in 2017. An early pioneer of Virtual Reality therapy, Hoffman originated and co-developed (with Dave Patterson) the technique of using virtual reality distraction to reduce the pain experienced by burned children during painful medical procedures.

Hoffman has also helped clinical therapists explore whether virtual reality can enhance the effectiveness of traditional clinical psychology treatments for patients with severe psychological disorders. Hoffman designed the first VR world (SnowWorld) for pain control, he designed one the first VR exposure therapy worlds, SpiderWorld, and he helped design World Trade Center World, and he is currently helping Marsha Linehan study Dialectical Behavioral Therapy VR Mindfulness Skills Training

Hoffman’s research has appeared on a number of scientific news stories, including Rock Center with Brian Williams, PBS News Hour (2017), BBC, Scientific American Frontiers with Alan Alda, Smithsonian Magazine (2017), Scientific American Magazine, and Scientific American Mind. He was identified by FastCompany.com as one of the Fast 50 people most likely to influence the next 10 years.