Simons receives SEC Faculty Achievement Award

Distinguished Research Professor Ronald L. Simons has been named the University of Georgia’s recipient of the 2019 Southeastern Conference Faculty Achievement Award:

The SEC award recognizes professors with outstanding records in teaching and scholarship and is administered by provosts at each of the 14 universities in the conference. Simons, who is a faculty member in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ department of sociology, will receive a $5,000 honorarium.

Simons’ research has revealed the impact of social and environmental conditions on gene expression, aging and health. His longitudinal studies about the impact of persistent family economic hardship and conflict on biological aging and the development of chronic illness, including cancer, diabetes and dementia, have resulted in the creation of programs for at-risk families.

His research has garnered more than $45 million in grant funding, which includes continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health for three decades. That work has resulted in more than 220 peer-reviewed articles and several books. With more than 28,000 citations, Simons ranks in the 99th percentile for sociologists and in the 95th percentile or higher in the fields of family studies, criminology and developmental psychology.

An extraordinary leader/scholar on our campus, this distinction honors one of America's great criminologists, whose teaching and mentoring has brought hundreds of young professionals into the field. Congratulations to Dr. Simons, his family, students and colleagues.