Paul Y. Hoskisson named director of Willes Center for Book of Mormon Studies, FARMS - BYU News Skip to main content
Intellect

Paul Y. Hoskisson named director of Willes Center for Book of Mormon Studies, FARMS

Paul Y. Hoskisson has been appointed director of Brigham Young University's Laura F. Willes Center for Book of Mormon Studies and the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies. He replaces S. Kent Brown, who is retiring from the university.

Hoskisson is a professor of ancient scripture at BYU, an expert on the Book of Mormon and a noted scholar of the Bible, particularly the world of the Bible.

"We are grateful to S. Kent Brown for his able leadership of this department of the Maxwell Institute over the last few years,” said M. Gerald Bradford, executive director of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. “Kent provided vision during the early formative period of the Willes Center while pursuing the ongoing work of FARMS.”

“I am convinced we have an able successor to him in Professor Hoskisson,” said Bradford. “Paul's scholarly accomplishments make him ideally suited for this new assignment. He will work with others to further quality scholarship on the Book of Mormon under the auspices of the Willes Center, and will ensure that FARMS continues to foster the very best work on other Restoration scriptures and on the Bible."

Prior to his appointment, Hoskisson was the Richard L. Evans Professor of Religious Understanding at BYU. He has served as associate dean of Religious Education and coordinator of BYU's Near Eastern Studies program.

Hoskisson received his doctorate from Brandeis University. He also earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from BYU.

Writer: Angela Fischer

phoskisson.jpg
Photo by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Related Articles

data-content-type="article"

Geology meets history: BYU professor studies WWII shrapnel on Normandy beaches

June 05, 2025
Eighty years after D-Day, BYU geologists uncover lingering WWII shrapnel on Normandy beaches to study how history still shapes the coastline today.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Forum: Lessons from Noise: Crackle to Calm

June 03, 2025
This year’s Karl G. Maeser Distinguished Faculty Lecturer, Kent Gee, delivered his forum address on the science of sound and how he and BYU students have contributed to significant research in the acoustics industry.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

BYU study finds the real reasons why some people choose not to use artificial intelligence

June 03, 2025
In a recent study, BYU professors Jacob Steffen and Taylor Wells explored why some people are still reluctant to use GenAI tools. While some people might worry about an AI apocalypse, Steffen and Wells found that most non-users are more concerned with issues like trusting the results, missing the human touch or feeling unsure if GenAI is ethical to use.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=