Robert Simoni, a biochemist at Stanford University whose research helped illustrate how cholesterol is metabolized by mammalian cells, died September 18 at age 81 after undergoing a recent surgery.
Simoni spent much of his professional career working at Stanford, first as a researcher and later as chair of the biology department, chair of the Faculty Senate, and acting provost, before retiring in 2013. His scientific contributions earned him a Fulbright Fellowship and a Research Career Development Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), while his administrative work was acknowledged with one of Stanford’s highest awards, the Kenneth M. Cuthbertson Award for Exceptional Contributions to Stanford.
“We have a large department, about 60 faculty members, and I think I’ve had at least 30 emails passed through. Everybody has a very personal story to tell about how Bob touched them,” Martha Cyert, the current chair of Stanford’s biology department, tells The ...
