Life Sciences

The Simons Foundation division of Life Sciences seeks to advance basic research on fundamental questions in biology. The division currently focuses on origins of life, microbial oceanography, microbial ecology and evolution, and support of early career scientists.

Simons Foundation

Research Areas

Origins of Life

Supports the Simons Collaboration on the Origins of Life

Microbial Oceanography

Supports two Simons Collaborations — on Ocean Processes and Ecology and on Computational Biogeochemical Modeling of Marine Ecosystems — and other programs

Microbial Ecology and Evolution

Supports the Simons Collaboration on Principles of Microbial Ecosystems and other programs

Awards

Project Awards

Awards to individuals support research in microbial oceanography, microbial ecology and evolution, and areas related to origins of life and early evolution.

Early Career Awards

The division provides support for outstanding early-career investigators through Simons Early Career Investigator in Aquatic Microbial Ecology and Evolution Awards.

Postdoctoral Fellowships

The Simons Postdoctoral Fellowships in Marine Microbial Ecology support entry of talented scientists into this field. The division also sponsors fellowships in partnership with the Life Sciences Research Foundation.

Courses and Research Training

Support is provided for the Microbial Diversity Course at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, the International Geobiology course, based at the California Institute of Technology, the MIT Integrative Microbiology Initiative, and other programs.

Resources

Data on diverse human populations from the Simons Genome Diversity Project are available.

NSF-Simons MathBioSys Initiative

The NSF-Simons Research Centers for Mathematics of Complex Biological Systems (MathBioSys) program is a partnership of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Simons Foundation divisions of Mathematics and Physical Sciences and of Life Sciences. The program has launched four new centers to bring mathematical perspectives to the search for the underlying principles that govern how life functions.

Funding Opportunities

Title

Important Dates

Description

Simons Early Career Investigator in Aquatic Microbial Ecology and Evolution Awards

This program was titled “Early Career Investigator in Marine Microbial Ecology and Evolution Awards” from 2015-2022. The purpose of these awards is to help launch the careers of outstanding investigators in the fields of microbial ecology and evolution in marine or natural freshwater systems, who will advance our understanding through experiments, modeling or theory. Investigators…

Simons Postdoctoral Fellowships in Marine Microbial Ecology

The Simons Foundation invites applications for postdoctoral fellowships to support candidates who intend to pursue a career in basic research on fundamental problems in marine microbial ecology, with an emphasis on understanding the role of microorganisms in shaping ocean processes, and vice versa. The foundation is interested in applicants with training in different disciplines, including…