UMD Researcher's $16M Planned Gift to Support Professors, Postdocs, Students // 'We Need to Give Back to What Got Us to This Place'

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A $16 million planned gift from a longtime University of Maryland faculty member will empower researchers and students in the Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics to conduct research on viruses and infectious disease in people and plants.

Professor Anne Simon, a plant virologist and longtime "The X-Files" scientific adviser, is donating $15 million to support two endowed professorships, one in virology and another in RNA or plant biology; multiple postdoctoral fellowships; and multiple graduate fellowships.

"I want to pay it back," she said. "I owe it all to my department. I want to keep good people here and attract good researchers, especially junior faculty, in these fields that I love."

A further $1 million will fund the Sondra Simon Memorial Maryland Promise Scholarship, named in honor of her mother, a teacher's aide in Los Angeles public schools for more than 30 years. Her commitment to Forward: The University of Maryland Campaign for the Fearless, which officially launched this week, brings its total to $943 million.

"Anne Simon has used her position at the forefront of one of the most exciting areas of biology to create innovative solutions for pressing global challenges, bringing great distinction to the university," said UMD President Darryll J. Pines. "Now she's going a step further to ensure this vital work continues through her generous gift." 

Simon's support stems from her company, Silvec Biologics, which she created with her brother, Rafael Simon, in 2019 to stop citrus greening disease. This bacterial infection has decimated more than 90% of oranges, grapefruits and other fruits in Florida since it was first documented in the United States in 2005. Greening disease has also spread extensively in Asia, the Americas and Africa and threatens to kill all citrus trees in the next two decades.

While some temporary fixes exist, such as injecting medical-grade antibiotics into the trees, Simon instead vaccinates them using a ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus to deliver antimicrobial peptides; lab testing has shown it to be effective, and field testing is underway. The technology could also have applications for row crops such as wheat and soybeans, reducing the need for fungicides and pesticides.

Simon's gift will enable the department to continue critical work in infectious disease, plant and RNA biology for years to come, said Chair Kevin S. McIver. "In the current climate, with stresses to biological systems in the environment, there are impacts to plants and humans. Stressed crops lead to more infections. We just had a global pandemic. This gift, which is across the breadth of the research enterprise, is a game changer."

Simon's work on viruses has put the department on the map nationally and internationally since she joined UMD in 2000, said McIver. She created and has led the department's virology program, making important discoveries in the burgeoning field of RNA biology. In addition, she has collaborated with scientists at the National Institutes of Health and established an inter-institutional graduate program, attracting top-notch students.

"The University of Maryland has been a leader in virology research thanks to faculty members like Anne Simon, and her generous support through this bequest will help us immeasurably to expand our work in this vital area," said Amitabh Varshney, dean of the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences. "Our research in virology and related areas is emblematic of our drive to tackle the world's most pressing grand challenges."

Outside of academia, Simon lent her expertise to "The X-Files," Fox's popular 1990s sci-fi series (revived for one season in 2018) about FBI agents investigating the paranormal, giving its twisted tales a grounding in reality. Creator Chris Carter is a family friend (her father, Mayo Simon, was a Hollywood screenwriter) and turned to her to ensure the right microscopes were used and alien germs behaved somewhat plausibly. 

Now, she's eager to pay all her success forward and hopes more faculty and alums will follow in her footsteps.

"For other faculty who have been able to start successful companies, it's time to say, 'We need to give back to what got us to this place.'"

SOURCE University of Maryland