Simon is currently Head of Licensing and Ventures for Life Science at Oxford University Innovation, where he has driven growth in licensing and company creation and increasing financial returns to the University and commercialising impactful technology to benefit the world. Previous career highlights have included the successful sale of Oxitec, a spin-out from the University of Oxford, where he was CSO, leading the development of pioneering insect control in public health and agriculture. Oxitec was purchased by synthetic biology specialist, Intrexon in 2015 for $160m. Simon worked for Syngenta for over a decade and had roles based in California, North Carolina and the UK, where he innovated in crop biotechnology and was responsible for developing agricultural products sold today. Simon has a Biochemistry degree from University College London and a PhD in plant molecular biology from the University of Leicester.