Originally from the Netherlands, Simon graduated from the Utrecht University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2000 and worked as a private practitioner for a number of years before pursuing an internship in Utrecht and an ophthalmology specialty residency in Madison, Wisconsin. Since 2009, he has worked as a faculty member at the Vetsuisse Faculty in Zurich, Switzerland, where he currently holds an associate-level professorship. He has finished a PhD on corneal wound healing and fibrosis in the Laboratory of Applied Mechanobiology at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ). Further research interests include the treatment of corneal infection/ulceration with a focus on corneal crosslinking (CXL) and advanced ocular and orbital imaging using OCT and high resolution MRI. Simon is board certified in veterinary ophthalmology by the European College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists and the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.