IHES
In Memoriam: Jim Simons (1938-2024)
With deep sorrow, IHES shares the news of Jim Simons’ passing last Friday, May 10th, 2024.
Jim Simons was an award-winning mathematician, a legend in quantitative investing, and an inspired and generous philanthropist.
He chaired the math department at Stony Brook University in New York, and his mathematical breakthroughs during that time are now instrumental to fields such as string theory, topology and condensed matter physics.
In 1978, Jim founded what would become Renaissance Technologies, a hedge fund that pioneered quantitative trading and became one of the most profitable investment firms in history. He then turned his focus to making a difference in the world through the Simons Foundation, Simons Foundation International, Math for America and other philanthropic efforts.
Jim first visited IHES in the seventies and he stayed very close to the Institute ever since. Together with his spouse Marilyn, they are the Institute’s most significant donors and their support of IHES has been completely transformative and unparalleled. The Institute’s most iconic building, the Marilyn and James Simons Conference Center, is named after them.
Jim was personally involved in ensuring the success and development of IHES. He was a member of the IHES Board of Directors since 2014. In 2022, Jim and Marilyn Simons also became Co-Chairs of Friends of IHES, the Institute’s partner organization in the United States. Together, they successfully established a complementary endowment fund for IHES in the United States.
In recognition for all the support he gave to IHES, and more generally to French mathematics and fundamental research, facilitating scientific cooperation and dialogue at an international level, Jim Simons was awarded the Legion of Honor in 2016 by the French Ambassador to the United States Gérard Araud.
“Over the past few days, numerous tributes to Jim Simons have been shared in the media and on social networks, and I too would like to honor the legendary figure that Jim was.
In the private sector, many of us harbor a deep passion for mathematics—its elegance and beauty, particularly those with a scientific background. Some of us even persist in keeping abreast of the latest advancements in our respective fields of interest. Few among us began our careers in academia, and even fewer are those who excelled in it. As a brilliant mathematician, Jim was thus already an exception when he started in finance. His extraordinary success with Renaissance Technologies made him truly one of a kind.
And yet, beyond his achievements in mathematics and finance, it is certainly the extent of his philanthropic efforts that is most remarkable. As the president of IHES, which has benefited from the unwavering generosity of Jim, his wife Marilyn, and the Simons Foundation for over 25 years, I have witnessed the tremendous impact of their commitment and support. It was an honor but also a real pleasure to have Jim among the members of the Institute’s board of directors.”
— Marwan Lahoud, President of the IHES Board of Directors
Read Emmanuel Ullmo’s personal tribute to Jim Simons here.
Read Jean-Pierre Bourguignon’s tribute to Jim Simons here.
Read Jean-Pierre Bourguignon’s and Antoine George’s tribute to Jim Simons published in the French newspaper Le Monde here.
Read Thibault Damour’s tribute to Jim Simons here.
Read Vasily Pestun’s tribute to Jim Simons here.
Read Jim Simons’ Return to Mathematics by Dennis Sullivan here.
