Alison Simmons received her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1994. The bulk of her teaching is in early modern philosophy, natural philosophy, and theories of mind. She also has teaching interests, however, in medieval philosophy, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of psychology.

Her research interests lie primarily at the intersection of philosophy and psychology. She works on questions about the nature of mind in general, the nature of sense perception in particular, and conceptions of the relation between mind and world as they have developed historically from the ancient through the medieval and early modern periods, and also as it is discussed today.

Professor Simmons, in addition to research and training, is working with Harvard's Computer Science faculty to create Embedded EthiCS, a pedagogical program that aims to help Computer Science students develop the habit of designing not only efficient but also socially responsible computing technology.

Her most recent scholarship can be found on her personal research page.