Key Takeaways
- • Berkeley mourns Jim Simons (1938–2024), a mathematician, hedge fund founder and philanthropist whose work spanned pure mathematics, finance and public-good research, according to Berkeley Inspire.
- • Simons earned his Ph.D. in mathematics from Berkeley in 1962 at age 23 and co-developed the Chern-Simons Invariant with Professor Shiing-Shen Chern, a foundational concept in theoretical physics per Chancellor Carol Christ.
- • In 1978 Simons left his post as chair of SUNY Stony Brook's mathematics department to build a quantitative trading approach, founding Renaissance Technologies, which became one of the most lucrative investment firms in history.
- • Through the Simons Foundation, Jim and Marilyn Simons funded Berkeley institutions including the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing, Simons Observatory and SLMath, plus the Flatiron Institute in New York.
- • Simons' family, including his first wife Barbara Simons and children Liz and Nat, are Berkeley alumni, and their philanthropic legacy will continue through named institutes and fellowships.
Summary
The Berkeley community has marked the death of Jim Simons, a mathematician, businessman and philanthropist whose work Berkeley says will sustain generations of researchers. Simons received his Ph.D. in mathematics from Berkeley in 1962, completing it at age 23 by solving a problem in the geometry of multidimensional curved spaces that had defeated other mathematicians, against the advice of his advisor Bertram Kostant. He made award-winning contributions to string theory, topology and condensed matter physics. Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ credited him with developing the Chern-Simons Invariant with Professor Shiing-Shen Chern, a concept that remains foundational in theoretical physics.
After teaching at MIT and Harvard in the 1960s, Simons worked for the Institute for Defense Analyses, a federally funded body, helping to break Soviet codes during the Cold War. He was dismissed from the IDA in 1968 for speaking out against the Vietnam War. In 1978 he left his role as chair of SUNY Stony Brook's mathematics department to develop a quantitative approach to trading stocks, founding Renaissance Technologies, which used mathematical models in defiance of conventional market wisdom and became one of the most lucrative firms in history. Simons told Berkeley that math was 'more the real world than business,' a remark he made to mathematics professor David Eisenbud.
The Simons Foundation, founded with his wife Marilyn, has funded major Berkeley research centers, including the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing, Simons Observatory and SLMath, formerly the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, along with Simons Fellow and Investigator awards. Other beneficiaries include the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics at SUNY Stony Brook, the Simons Center for the Social Brain at MIT, and the Flatiron Institute in New York, the foundation's internal research division. The foundation also supports math and science teachers in New York City through Math for America.
Shafi Goldwasser, director of the Simons Institute, described Simons as 'a giant in mind, soul and personality,' while Eisenbud noted that his mathematical discoveries 'are forever.' Simons received Berkeley's Alumnus of the Year Award in 2016.
After teaching at MIT and Harvard in the 1960s, Simons worked for the Institute for Defense Analyses, a federally funded body, helping to break Soviet codes during the Cold War. He was dismissed from the IDA in 1968 for speaking out against the Vietnam War. In 1978 he left his role as chair of SUNY Stony Brook's mathematics department to develop a quantitative approach to trading stocks, founding Renaissance Technologies, which used mathematical models in defiance of conventional market wisdom and became one of the most lucrative firms in history. Simons told Berkeley that math was 'more the real world than business,' a remark he made to mathematics professor David Eisenbud.
The Simons Foundation, founded with his wife Marilyn, has funded major Berkeley research centers, including the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing, Simons Observatory and SLMath, formerly the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, along with Simons Fellow and Investigator awards. Other beneficiaries include the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics at SUNY Stony Brook, the Simons Center for the Social Brain at MIT, and the Flatiron Institute in New York, the foundation's internal research division. The foundation also supports math and science teachers in New York City through Math for America.
Shafi Goldwasser, director of the Simons Institute, described Simons as 'a giant in mind, soul and personality,' while Eisenbud noted that his mathematical discoveries 'are forever.' Simons received Berkeley's Alumnus of the Year Award in 2016.
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