Simon is a moral philosopher and a veterinarian. He is a senior research fellow in the Centre for AI and Digital Ethics (CAIDE) and the School of Computing and Information Systems (CIS) at the University of Melbourne. He has a PhD in moral philosophy. Simon's research in digital ethics currently includes a focus on companion and care robots for older people and other groups, on animal-computer interaction, and on digital technologies in healthcare and public health. He has interests in applied ethics of various types, including conservation ethics, animal ethics, and health ethics. He has worked in private small animal practice for over 20 years.