James H. Simons

James (Jim) H. Simons was an award-winning mathematician, a legend in quantitative investing, and a dedicated philanthropist.

Together with his wife, Simons Foundation chair Marilyn Simons, he gave billions of dollars to hundreds of philanthropic causes, particularly those supporting math and science research and education. Their foundation, the Simons Foundation, supports scientists and organizations worldwide in advancing the frontiers of research in mathematics and the basic sciences.

He had a lifelong curiosity and passion for math and basic science and was determined to make a meaningful difference in the level of support that mathematics and basic sciences received in the United States, notably by sponsoring projects that were important but unlikely to find funding elsewhere.

Over its 30-year history, the Simons Foundation’s work led to breakthroughs in our understanding of autism, the origins of the universe, cellular biology and computational science. Jim and Marilyn’s giving continues to support the next generation of mathematicians and scientists at schools and universities in New York City and around the world.

His philanthropic leadership was a third career. Previously, he chaired the math department at Stony Brook University in New York, and his mathematical breakthroughs during that time are now instrumental to fields such as string theory, topology and condensed matter physics. Before his work in academia, he founded a hedge fund (Renaissance Technologies) that pioneered quantitative trading and became one of the most profitable investment firms in history.

Simons received a bachelor's degree in mathematics from MIT and a PhD in mathematics from Berkeley.