Jon Simons PhD

Jon S. Simons is a cognitive neuroscientist who leads a research program seeking to understand the brain regions involved in human memory. After studying Psychology at the University of Aberdeen, Jon undertook a Ph.D. at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge, before moving to a post-doctoral position at Harvard University. On returning to the UK, he took up a senior research fellowship at UCL, followed by a move back to Cambridge, where he is now a Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and principal investigator in the Memory Laboratory at the Department of Psychology. The laboratory's research has been funded by support from UKRI (BBSRC, ESRC, and MRC) and from a number of charitable organizations (Isaac Newton Trust, James S. McDonnell Foundation, Leverhulme Trust, Mental Health Research UK, Rosetrees Trust, and Wellcome Trust).

Jon has published more than 100 papers in top-ranking international journals, and has held positions on editorial boards (e.g., Science magazine's open access section, Science Advances) and funding panels (e.g., BBSRC). His work has been recognized with the Experimental Psychology Society EPS Prize, a James S. McDonnell Foundation Scholar Award, the Memory Disorders Research Society Laird Cermak Award, and a Fellowship of the Royal Society of Biology and the Association for Psychological Science.

In January 2020, Jon was appointed Deputy Head of the School of Biological Sciences. His work for the School involves the strategic development of cross-Departmental research initiatives aimed at enhancing interdisciplinary interactions, including School-wide Research Themes. He also has a strong interest in efforts to improve the research culture, such as in widening participation, increasing the diversity of those in leadership roles, empowering early-career researchers and professional services staff, and exploring opportunities for institutional incentivization of open research practices.