Alliance member Jim Simons, co-founder of the Simons Foundation, who recently passed away at the age of 86 is remembered for his work as a mathematician, hedge fund pioneer, investor, professor and, lastly and importantly, as a philanthropist. His contribution to the Science Philanthropy Alliance was invaluable, and we honor his memory.
The Simons Foundation was among the six founding member organizations of the Science Philanthropy Alliance. Marc Kastner, who had the privilege of knowing and working with Jim during the Alliance’s nascent years remembers that “he used his wealth to enrich the world in many fields, including theoretical physics and mathematics, at a time when no one was focusing on them.” Simons own scientific work was in pure mathematics, and later he pursued his interest in the applications of his work to the theory of particle physics.
Alliance Emeritus External Science Advisor Robert Tjian recalled that when the Alliance was no more than a concept, he met Jim and Marilyn Hawrys Simons (co-founder of the Simons Foundation and full partner in life and philanthropy) at an event and invited them to join a meeting. “They were obviously already active in the Simons Foundation, but it (the Alliance) was not fully formed yet. At first, I don’t think Jim was particularly interested, but Marilyn said, ‘Yes, I think we’ll come and just listen.’ Tjian added, “At that meeting– I’ll never forget it. I could just see the transformation in Jim’s thinking. He and Marilyn were great partners and thought leaders.”
Always able to see the big picture, Simons understood that as federal funding of basic science continued its decline, there were real opportunities for philanthropists to make an impact. One such area where he and Marilyn invested heavily in was in the basic science of autism, to increase understanding of this complex condition.
Jim Simons was also a visionary. According to Kastner, “You knew immediately when meeting with him that he was a man with enormous intelligence, and like all such men, he had equally strong opinions. Jim was always convinced his vision was correct unless you had proof to the contrary. Nevertheless, he always listened, and colleagues were able to change his mind with compelling evidence. Once he was convinced of something he ran with it.”
In the early days of the Alliance, Jim was a driving force in helping the Alliance to focus its strategy and align with research partners, such as universities. His efforts raised the visibility of basic science at a time when many universities, like the federal government, were focused on research meant to develop scientific applications.
Abe Lackman, a close colleague of Jim Simons, noted that “Jim understood the power of private foundations (both current and new) and of private individuals advocating for the importance and value of fundamental research to society. He knew these groups could encourage research organizations to drive fundamental research by establishing funds dedicated to discovery science.”
Jim Simons was also characteristically resolved as to who should launch and lead the Alliance. Kastner recalls that “while I was on vacation in Paris waiting to hear if I had gotten a high-level job with the Obama Administration, Jim called me and recruited me for the job as President of the Alliance. It changed my life.”
“When I began as Alliance President in 2015, the first thing I did was to hire Valerie Conn, at Jim’s recommendation. Because of her work in development at the University of Chicago, Valerie brought expertise in relationship-management that we needed. Valerie and I then began meeting with wealthy individuals and their representatives to explore what the Alliance’s strategy should be. Jim made this possible by introducing us to high-net-worth individuals, many of whom were Giving Pledgers. It was these meetings that led to the core strategy of becoming trusted advisors to those interested in supporting basic science.”
Jim Simons is perhaps best known to colleagues as having an insatiable desire to learn new things. This was most evident in his support of people and diverse projects. “The Simons Foundation initiated a Simons Investigator program which began by fueling the careers of top mathematicians and theoretical physicists. But later, this program would eventually support work in fields as diverse as astrophysics and the origins of life,” observed Kastner. Simons funded numerous astronomy projects, supported work in cell biology, and even enabled ocean science… personally. Jim was determined to use his wealth for science, going as far as lending his yacht Archimedes to marine researchers to document and explore life in the oceans.
His impact will be felt for generations to come in the diverse projects he supported, in the scientific community he built through his foundation and the countless lives he changed.
Albert Einstein stated that “It is every man’s obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it.” Jim Simons almost certainly surpassed even Einstein’s maxim. He has given back infinitely more, and his investment in basic science for the good of all will be his legacy.