Robert Simoni, Cellular Membrane Biochemist, Dies at 81

Simoni spent more than four decades at Stanford University as a teacher, researcher, and administrator in the university’s biology department.

Written byAmanda Heidt

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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 ...

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Meet the Author

Amanda Heidt
Amanda first began dabbling in scicom as a master’s student studying marine science at Moss Landing Marine Labs, where she edited the student blog and interned at a local NPR station. She enjoyed that process of demystifying science so much that after receiving her degree in 2019, she went straight into a second master’s program in science communication at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Formerly an intern at The Scientist, Amanda joined the team as a staff reporter and editor in 2021 and oversaw the publication’s internship program, assigned and edited the Foundations, Scientist to Watch, and Short Lit columns, and contributed original reporting across the publication. Amanda’s stories often focus on issues of equity and representation in academia, and she brings this same commitment to DEI to the Science Writers Association of the Rocky Mountains and to the board of the National Association of Science Writers, which she has served on since 2022. She is currently based in the outdoor playground that is Moab, Utah. Read more of her work at www.amandaheidt.com.
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