Jim and Marilyn Simons Set to Receive Carnegie Medal

Last week, East Setauket billionaire Jim Simons made headlines as the No. 34 wealthiest person in the U.S. as well as the richest Long Islander, with a net worth of $12 billion. This week, he and his wife are in the spotlight after it was announced that they will be the recipients of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy in October, according to a report published in Newsday.

Their donations have helped make strides in the "frontiers of research in mathematics and the basic sciences," according to the Carnegie UK Trust, which awards the medal every two years in honor of Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish-American steel magnate who gave away most of his fortune before his death in 1919.

Jim and Marilyn Simons provide donations not just to Stony Brook University – to which they gave an unprecedented $150 million gift in 2011 – but also to universities and laboratories in other parts of the country as well as organizations that fund autism research.

Click here to read the full report from Newsday (subscription required).