Who Is Jim Simons? Age, Biography and Wiki
Jim Simons, born on April 25, 1938, is an iconic American mathematician and hedge fund manager who gained fame for his groundbreaking contributions to quantitative finance. As of 2025, Jim Simons is 86 years old. He is widely regarded for founding Renaissance Technologies, a hedge fund that utilizes advanced mathematical models to identify trading opportunities. Simons' innovative approach has made him one of the wealthiest individuals in the world, with a career that spans several decades in both academia and finance.
| Occupation | Mathematician |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | April 25, 1938 |
| Age | 86 Years |
| Birth Place | Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Taurus |
| Country | U.S |
| Date of death | 10 May, 2024 |
| Died Place | New York City, U.S. |
Popularity
Jim Simons's Popularity over time
Height, Weight & Measurements
While there are no official records available regarding Jim Simons' height and weight, he is typically described as an average statured individual. Early on in his career, Simons maintained a healthy lifestyle, focusing more on intellectual pursuits than public appearances. His dedication to mathematics and finance has often overshadowed the need for personal profiling in terms of his physical attributes.
Family, Dating & Relationship Status
Jim Simons is known to be private about his personal life. He was married to Judy Simons, with whom he has three children. The family has been supportive of his work, often remaining in the background while he shines in the financial world. As of 2025, there is no public information regarding any current relationship status or boyfriends, as Jim has remained focused on his endeavors and philanthropic activities.
In 1994, Simons and his wife, Marilyn, founded the Simons Foundation to support research in mathematics and fundamental sciences. The foundation is the top benefactor of Stony Brook University, Marilyn's alma mater, and is a major contributor to his alma maters, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley.
Simons was a member of the boards of the Stony Brook Foundation, the MIT Corporation, and the Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute in Berkeley, and chaired the boards of Math for America, the Simons Foundation, and Renaissance Technologies.
In 2023, the Simons Foundation gave $500 million to Stony Brook University, the second-largest donation to a public university in U.S. history. In 2016, the International Astronomical Union named asteroid 6618 Jimsimons, which Clyde Tombaugh discovered in 1936, after Simons in honor of his contributions to mathematics and philanthropy.
Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, Jim Simons' estimated net worth is around $28 billion, cementing his status as one of the richest people in the world. His immense wealth is largely derived from the success of Renaissance Technologies and its Medallion Fund, which has reported annual returns averaging around 39%. With a business model that depends heavily on data analysis and algorithms, Simons' innovations have generated substantial income over the years.
James Harris Simons (April 25, 1938 – May 10, 2024) was an American hedge fund manager, investor, mathematician, and philanthropist. At the time of his death, Simons's net worth was estimated to be $31.4 billion, making him the 55th-richest person in the world.
He was the founder of Renaissance Technologies, a quantitative hedge fund based in East Setauket, New York. He and his fund are known to be quantitative investors, using mathematical models and algorithms to make investment gains from market inefficiencies.
Due to the long-term aggregate investment returns of Renaissance and its Medallion Fund, Simons was called the "greatest investor on Wall Street" and more specifically "the most successful hedge fund manager of all time".
Career, Business and Investments
Jim Simons’ journey began at Stony Brook University, where he served as a mathematics professor and made notable contributions to the field, including work on differential geometry and mathematical finance. In 1982, he transitioned into the finance sector and founded Renaissance Technologies. His flagship fund, the Medallion Fund, has been known for delivering extraordinary returns, attributed to Simons' profound understanding of complex data patterns and models.
Beyond trading, Jim has also invested in various philanthropic efforts, particularly in education, science, and healthcare. His belief in the importance of research and education has led him to support various scientific initiatives.
In 1964, Simons worked with the National Security Agency to break codes. Between 1964 and 1968, he was on the research staff of the Communications Research Division of the Institute for Defense Analysis (CRD of IDA) and taught mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University.
Simons also tried starting a trading company named iStar with colleagues including Richard Leibler, but was discovered by management, and the effort failed. After being forced to leave the IDA due to his public opposition to the Vietnam War, he joined the faculty at Stony Brook University.
From 1968 to 1978, he chaired Stony Brook's math department. In 1973, IBM asked Simons to attack the block cipher Lucifer, an early but direct precursor to the Data Encryption Standard (DES). In 2004, Simons founded Math for America, a nonprofit organization with a mission to improve mathematics education in U.S.
public schools by recruiting more highly qualified teachers.
Social Network
Jim Simons maintains a relatively low profile on social media platforms, preferring to focus on his work rather than public attention. However, Renaissance Technologies has a presence on platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter, where updates and information about the company's activities are shared.
Education
Simons earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from MIT and later obtained a Ph.D. in mathematics from UC Berkeley. His educational background laid the foundation for his analytical prowess, which he later applied in the financial markets. Fueled by a passion for learning and innovation, Simons has continued to engage with academic communities, inspiring future generations of mathematicians and investors.
He received a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1958 and a PhD in mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley under the supervision of Bertram Kostant in 1961, at age 23. After graduating from MIT, Simons traveled from Boston to Bogotá, Colombia, on a motor scooter.
