Simon Malcomber

Simon T. Malcomber is the deputy assistant director for the Directorate for Biological Sciences and has served as the acting assistant director since October 2022. Simon previously served as an NSF program director in the Systematics and Biodiversity Science cluster from 2012-2020 and deputy division director for the Division of Environmental Biology from 2020-2022.

Prior to joining NSF, Simon was a faculty member at California State University, Long Beach, where his research focused on plant systematics and evolutionary developmental genetics in grasses and relatives. Since starting at NSF, he has participated in the Systematics and Biodiversity Science core programs, the international Dimensions of Biodiversity program and the cross-foundation Understanding the Rules of Life: Epigenetics program. He has led interagency efforts on the interactions between biology and artificial intelligence and currently serves as the co-chair of the Biological Sciences Coordinating Committee interagency group.

Simon received his doctorate in population and evolutionary biology from Washington University in St. Louis.