Education
Simmons was born in 1958 in the San Francisco Bay Area in California and attended Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, California where she excelled in speech, debate, and music
Simmons was born in 1958 in the San Francisco Bay Area in California and attended Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, California where she excelled in speech, debate, and music
She is a former Director of the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University and Clarence Dillon Professor of International Affairs at the Department of Government. Her research interests include international relations, political economy, international law, and international human rights law compliance. She earned a Bachelor in political science and philosophy with summa cum laude from the University of Redlands, an Master of Arts in international relations from the University of Chicago, and an Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in government from Harvard where she was a student of famed international relations theorist Robert Keohane.
Simmons taught as an assistant professor at Duke University (1991–1996) and as an associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley (1996–2002) before joining Harvard"s faculty in 2002.
She was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2009. Simmons served as President of the International Studies Association from 2011-2012.
She was succeeded as President by Etel Solingen of the University of California, Irvine.