Trustees

David Rubenstein, Trustee of the Institute for Advanced Study since 2005, will be conferred the highest honor from Eisenhower Fellowships for his philanthropic generosity, innovative leadership, and commitment to serving others.

IAS Trustee David M. Rubenstein has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden. This prestigious honor is the nation's highest civilian award. Rubenstein was recognized "for his philanthropy and generous support for the restoration of historic landmarks and the country’s cultural institutions."

Pauline Yu, Director's Visitor (2014), Trustee of the Institute for Advanced Study, and prominent scholar of Chinese literature, was officially presented with a 2022 National Humanities Medal by President Joe Biden in a private ceremony held at the White House on Monday, October 21, 2024.

The Institute for Advanced Study has made two new appointments to its Board of Trustees: Paul DiMaggio, a Professor of Sociology at New York University, and Anoop Prasad, Managing Director and member of the Executive Committee of D. E. Shaw & Co. Their appointments were unanimously adopted by the Board on October 26, 2024.

Described as "one of the most distinguished theoretical physicists of our time," IAS Trustee Emeritus Martin Rees has been announced as the winner of the 2024 Wolf Prize in Physics. Also recognized with a 2024 Wolf Prize in Mathematics was Noga Alon, a frequent Visiting Professor in the School of Mathematics. 

IAS Director and Leon Levy Professor David Nirenberg, School of Social Science Visitor Michèle Lamont (1997), and IAS Academic Trustee Eve Marder have been elected to the American Philosophical Society (APS), one of the oldest learned societies in the U.S.

Jim Simons, former IAS Member (1972), Trustee (2001–18), and Board Vice Chair (2010–18), "led a life driven by curiosity." A tribute posted on the Simons Foundation website honors his achievements in mathematics, business, and philanthropy.

James H. Simons, former IAS Member (1972) and Board Vice Chair, widely recognized as a prize-winning mathematician, singular hedge fund manager, and a visionary philanthropist—with an indefatigable curiosity for science and discovery—died on Friday, May 10. He was 86.

The Institute for Advanced Study has appointed neuroscientist Eve Marder to its Board of Trustees. Nominated by the Institute’s School of Natural Sciences, she succeeds Ewine F. van Dishoeck as Academic Trustee. Her appointment was unanimously adopted by the Board on May 6, 2023.

The IAS Board of Trustees has elected John Overdeck as its next Chair. Overdeck, a philanthropist, business leader, and dedicated supporter of the Institute, will succeed software entrepreneur Charles Simonyi, who served as Chair since 2008.