History
Background
James H. Simons was the chair of the mathematics department at Stony Brook from 1968 to 1976. After deciding to leave academia, he then went on to make billions with his investment firm Renaissance Technologies. On February 27, 2008 he announced a donation totaling $60 million (including a $25 million gift two years prior) to the mathematics and physics departments. This was the largest single gift ever given to any of the SUNY schools. The gift came during Stony Brook's 50th anniversary and shortly after Gov. Spitzer announced his commitment to make Stony Brook a “flagship” of the SUNY system that would rival the nation’s most prestigious state research universities. During his announcement speech, Jim Simons said "From Archimedes to Newton to Einstein, much of the most profound work in physics has been deeply intertwined with the geometric side of mathematics. Since then, in particular with the advent of such areas as quantum field theory and string theory, developments in geometry and physics have become if anything more interrelated. The new Center will give many of the world's best mathematicians and physicists the opportunity to work and interact in an environment and an architecture carefully designed to enhance progress. We believe there is a chance that work accomplished at the Center will significantly change and deepen our understanding of the physical universe and of its basic mathematical structure." The Center results from extensive thought and planning between faculty, department chairs, and others, including Cumrun Vafa of Harvard, who directs the Simons Foundation-supported summer institutes on string theory at Stony Brook, andEstablishment
John Morgan served as the founding director from 2009 to 2016. Luis Álvarez-Gaumé has been the director since 2016.Building
The Simons Center's building was completed in September, 2010. The building is adjacent to the physics and mathematics departments to allow for close collaboration with the mathematics department and the C. N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics. The building offers of floor space, spread over six stories, and includes a 236–seat auditorium, a 90–seat lecture hall, offices, seminar rooms, and a cafe. The building is LEED Gold certified, and is connected to the Math Tower via an elevated walkway.Faculty
The Center's permanent faculty currently consists of mathematiciansReferences
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