Professor Bruce Hoffman, one of the world’s leading scholars on terrorism and political violence, will be awarded a Doctor of Letters (DLitt) by the University of St Andrews in recognition of a career that has helped shape the study of terrorism over the past five decades.
Hoffman is a professor at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service and the Shelby Cullom and Kathryn W. Davis Senior Fellow for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security at the Council on Foreign Relations. Throughout his career, he has advised U.S. government agencies and international organizations on terrorism, insurgency, and counterterrorism, serving as a commissioner on the FBI’s 9/11 Review Commission, Scholar-in-Residence for Counterterrorism at the Central Intelligence Agency, adviser to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, and adviser on counterinsurgency to Multi-National Forces–Iraq. He has also received the United States Intelligence Community Seal Medallion, the highest honor awarded to a non-government employee.
Announcing the recognition, the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (CSTPV) at the University of St Andrews highlighted Hoffman’s lasting influence on both scholarship and policy.
“Few people have done more to shape the field of Terrorism Studies,” the Centre said. “Anchored in deep historical and interdisciplinary work, and tested against some of the world’s most volatile contexts, Professor Hoffman’s scholarship has defined how academics, policymakers, and the public understand political violence for over five decades.”
The honor carries particular significance for St Andrews, where Hoffman and the late Professor Paul Wilkinson founded the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence more than 30 years ago, helping establish one of the first academic institutions dedicated to the serious study of terrorism and political violence.
Hoffman has maintained close ties with the university throughout his career, serving as Professor of Terrorism Studies, delivering the inaugural Paul Wilkinson Memorial Lecture, and most recently presenting a public lecture on his 2024 book, God, Guns and Sedition: Far-Right Terrorism in America.
“We are delighted to celebrate this recognition of a career that has done so much to define and support the field,” the Centre said.
