JAMES SIMONS

SIMONS--James. It is with deep sadness that Stony Brook University bids farewell to Jim Simons, faculty member, scientist, department chair, board chair, and philanthropist who passed away on May 10. A beloved friend, pioneering mathematician, and visionary leader, Jim leaves an enduring legacy that will resonate for generations. Jim joined the Stony Brook department of mathematics in 1968 as chair, where his commitment to recruiting leading scholars helped him build one of the nation's top departments. Jim's intellectual curiosity and legendary conversations with his colleague, Nobel Prize winner C.N. Yang, ultimately led to the founding of the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics in 2010. His legacy at Stony Brook went far beyond math and physics, with more than $1 billion in philanthropy that impacted initiatives far and near, including Stony Brook's Turkana Basin Institute in Kenya and the University's Renaissance School of Medicine. For nearly 40 years, Jim lent his wise counsel to the Stony Brook Foundation Board of Trustees, including serving as chair. In 2023, Jim and his wife Marilyn, in partnership with the Simons Foundation, pledged $500 million to support Stony Brook's unrestricted endowment, the largest gift of its kind in the history of U.S. higher education. We are most grateful for Jim Simons' immeasurable contributions to our University and extend our deepest condolences to his family.