THE SIMONS FOUNDATION DONATES $10 MILLION TO INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY

Gift Will Support the Institute's Center for Systems Biology

November 21, 2005, Princeton, N.J. – The Simons Foundation has donated $10 million to the Institute for Advanced Study to support the Institute's Center for Systems Biology. The Center, established in 2003 under the leadership of Arnold J. Levine, Professor in the School of Natural Sciences, fosters research in the fields of systems biology. This challenge grant is intended to help support, along with future funds from additional donors, operational and building costs associated with the Center, as well as the establishment of an endowment fund. The grant will be paid as the Institute matches the funds. In recognition of this gift, the Center will be renamed The Simons Center for Systems Biology.

The Simons Foundation, established in 1994 by James H. Simons, Founder and President of Renaissance Technologies Corporation, and his wife Marilyn Hawrys Simons, was created to support advanced research in science and mathematics. James Simons has been a Trustee of the Institute since 2002, and, as a distinguished mathematician and former Member in the School of Mathematics (1972-73), has been actively engaged in the intellectual life and development of the Institute.

Peter Goddard, Director of the Institute, stated, "The Simons Foundation's grant will greatly facilitate the Institute’s new initiative in theoretical biology, comprising biologists and scientists trained in physics and in mathematical disciplines, working in close proximity to the Institute’s leading theoretical physicists and astrophysicists. This gift from a Trustee and former Member of the Institute is a testimony to lasting significance that the Institute holds for those who have worked here and the impact it has had on their lives. We are immensely grateful to The Simons Foundation for their generosity and their belief in the importance of the development of biology as a discipline at the Institute. We are confident that other supporters will rise to the Foundation's exciting challenge to join them in nurturing this crucial extension of the work of the Institute."

"During the past several decades developments in biology have made the field increasingly amenable to the methods and insights of physics and mathematics," stated James Simons. "The establishment of a kernel of outstanding biologists at IAS, where large numbers of equally outstanding mathematicians and natural scientists are continually in residence, is a perfect way to nurture this incipient development. Arnold Levine and his biological colleagues are eager to teach, and we believe many IAS Members will be eager to learn. Together, they may begin to attack and to solve some of the deepest and most important problems in the life sciences."

The $10 million gift from The Simons Foundation is part of the $50 million in total gifts and pledges made to the Institute this year. This figure includes additional, significant gifts received from supporters of the Institute, and it represents half of an initial goal of $100 million established by the Institute to strengthen its endowment and to fund existing programs. These gifts continue the strong legacy of support established by the Institute's founders, Louis Bamberger and his sister Caroline Bamberger Fuld. The sequence of Bamberger/Fuld gifts, made between 1930 and their deaths in 1944, amounted to more than $16 million and created the foundation for the Institute's endowment.

About The Simons Foundation
The Simons Foundation is a family foundation founded in 1994 and based in New York City. The primary mission of The Foundation is to advance the frontiers of research in the basic sciences and mathematics.

James H. Simons is the Founder and President of Renaissance Technologies Corporation, an investment management firm dedicated to the use of mathematical methods. Prior to founding Renaissance, Dr. Simons served as Chairman of the Mathematics Department at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, was a cryptanalyst at the Institute for Defense Analyses in Princeton, and taught mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. His work in mathematics includes the discovery and application of certain quantities called the Chern-Simons Invariants, which have led to important developments in many areas of mathematics and theoretical physics. Dr. Simons received his bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of California at Berkeley. Marilyn Simons, Ph.D. has been President of The Simons Foundation since 1994. In addition to her work at the Foundation, Ms. Simons' primary involvement has been with non-profits that focus on education.

About the Center for Systems Biology
The Center for Systems Biology at the Institute for Advanced Study, under the leadership of Dr. Arnold J. Levine, conducts research at the interface of molecular biology and the physical sciences. The Center hosts a range of distinguished Members and Visitors annually, and fosters original theoretical research in the fields of systems biology, most commonly utilizing genetic, molecular and evolutionary approaches, and in some cases, a focus upon understanding disease processes. The Center’s existence creates opportunities for individuals working in systems biology to meet, hold seminars and symposia, collaborate in research and interact on a regular basis.

In addition to providing a stimulating environment for its Members and Visitors, the Center has close collaborations with the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Lewis-Sigler Center for Integrative Genomics at Princeton University, and BioMaPS Institute at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. These partnerships help to extend and promote the necessary exchange and practice of ideas for future discoveries and strides in the field. As one of the leading centers for theoretical research in the sciences, the Institute is a natural home for biologists to visit and work, since life scientists increasingly require extensive skills in mathematics, physics, computer science and chemistry.

About the Institute
The Institute for Advanced Study is a private, independent academic institution located in Princeton, N.J. Work at the Institute takes place in four Schools: Historical Studies, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social Science. Esteemed past Faculty have included Albert Einstein, who was at the Institute from 1933 until his death in 1955, and luminaries such as Kurt Gödel, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Erwin Panofsky, Homer A. Thompson, John von Neumann, George Kennan and Hermann Weyl. A permanent Faculty of 26 eminent scholars guides the work of the Schools, and each year awards fellowships to some 190 visiting Members, from about one hundred universities and research institutions throughout the world. The Institute’s more than 5,000 former Members hold positions of intellectual and scientific leadership in the United States and abroad. Some 21 Nobel laureates, and 32 out of 44 Fields Medalists, have been Institute Faculty or Members. Many winners of the Wolf or MacArthur prizes have also been affiliated with the Institute.

The Institute has no formal links to other educational institutions. However, since its founding, it has enjoyed close, collaborative ties with Princeton University; Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; and other nearby institutions. The Institute’s 800-acre site, the majority of which has been permanently conserved, includes the Institute Woods, farm fields, and wetlands. These lands form a key link in a network of green spaces in central New Jersey, and provide a tranquil environment for members of the community and Institute scholars. Information about the Institute and its programs can be found at www.ias.edu.