Together, Math and Science Foundations Fund ‘Tabletop’ Physics That Could Transform Our Understanding of the Universe

 Simons Foundation, December 2023

Physics breakthroughs don’t always require city-sized particle colliders or giant radio telescope arrays. The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Simons Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation have partnered to fund 11 innovative “tabletop” experiments, many of which will explore realms of physics typically probed by large-scale facilities.

New York Climate Exchange Selects Stephen Hammer as First CEO

 Simons Foundation, November 2023

Today, the New York Climate Exchange, a first of its kind organization in New York City working on innovative climate solutions, announced Stephen Hammer as its founding chief executive officer. Hammer is a leading global climate policy expert who has served as the top climate advisor at the World Bank for the last decade.

Article cross-posted on the Simons Foundation International website.

Independence Fellow Abhilasha Joshi Receives Peter and Patricia Gruber International Research Award

 Simons Foundation, November 2023

The Society for Neuroscience has awarded neuroscientist Abhilasha Joshi its Peter and Patricia Gruber International Research Award, which recognizes “young neuroscientists for outstanding research and educational pursuit in an international setting.” The award is supported by the Gruber Foundation and includes a $25,000 prize and travel to the Society for Neuroscience’s annual meeting. The award announcement highlights Joshi’s work on the ties between locomotion and memory in rodents, which has implications for better understanding the links between cognitive and motor deficits in healthy aging and aging-associated disorders.

SUNY’s Rockefeller Institute of Government and the Simons Foundation are Bringing Together Scientists and State Leaders

 Simons Foundation, October 2023

Every year, government leaders in New York State make decisions on complex issues, such as energy, the environment, and public health that affect the state’s 20 million residents and have broader impacts across the country and planet.

The State University of New York’s Rockefeller Institute of Government and the Simons Foundation have launched a new initiative to bring additional science and technology expertise into that critical decision-making process.

Announcement made jointly with the Rockefeller Institute of Government.

Simons Foundation Accepting Applications for Independence Fellows Program

 Simons Foundation, October 2023

In order to advance the frontiers of research in science, the Simons Foundation recognizes the need for a diversity of ideas and perspectives contributing to the scientific enterprise. To that end, the foundation supports talented early-career scientists from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds as they transition from mentored training to independent research positions.

Scientists Begin Building AI for Scientific Discovery Using Tech Behind ChatGPT

 Simons Foundation, October 2023

An international team of scientists announced today an ambitious new project that will leverage the same technology behind ChatGPT to build an AI-powered tool for scientific discovery. While ChatGPT deals in words and sentences, the team’s AI will learn from numerical data and physics simulations from across scientific fields to aid scientists in modeling everything from supergiant stars to Earth’s climate.