Marilyn Simons, Ph.D.

Marilyn Simons is a leader and advocate in the not-for profit scientific community. A co-founder of the Simons Foundation, she currently serves as a co-chair of the foundation’s board of trustees. She actively supports STEM research, education and outreach. Since 2019, Simons has served as chair of the board of trustees of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory — an outstanding U.S. research facility specializing in molecular biology and genetics; she has been a member of the lab’s board since 2008. Simons is also a member of the boards of trustees of the National Museum of Mathematics and the Turkana Basin Institute, and she serves as an advisory board member of Sandbox Films, a documentary studio dedicated to illuminating the art and beauty of scientific inquiry. In 2014, Simons founded the Stony Brook Women’s Leadership Council, a mentoring program for outstanding undergraduate women at Stony Brook University, where she currently serves as the council’s chair. In addition to her work to advance basic science research, Simons is active in supporting K-12 education for underserved communities. She is a member of the board of trustees of the LearningSpring School, a New York City–based school for children diagnosed on the autism spectrum, as well as the East Harlem Scholars Academies in New York City. Simons oversees the philanthropic work of the MJS Foundation, a private family foundation in New York. She received a B. A. and Ph.D. in economics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.