Simon is a Professor in the Department of Economics and Public Policy at Imperial Business School. His research focuses on development economics — particularly the role of firms and organisations, with interests in labour markets, microfinance, and entrepreneurship. Previously, Simon was an Associate Professor and Deputy Director of the Centre for the Study of African Economies at the University of Oxford. He holds a BEcon (Hons) and LLB (Hons) from the University of Queensland, and an MPhil and DPhil in Economics from the University of Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar and a Fellow of All Souls College.