Simon Baron-Cohen is a Professor in the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry University of Cambridge and Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge. He is Director of the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge, which he set up in 1997. He is author of 3 popular science books that have educated the public about autism and related areas of psychology: The Essential Difference, Zero Degrees of Empathy, and The Pattern Seekers. He has also written 2 academic books: Mindblindness, and Prenatal Testosterone in Mind. He has also written books for parents and teachers, including Autism and Asperger Syndrome: The Facts.

He created the first UK clinic for adults with suspected Asperger Syndrome (1999), now simply called autism, that has helped over 1,000 patients to have their disability recognized. He gave a keynote address to the United Nations in New York on Autism Awareness Day 2017 on the topic of Autism and Human Rights.

He is a Fellow of many academies and professional bodies, such as the British Psychological Society, the British Academy, the Academy of Medical Sciences, the Royal Society of Medicine, and the American Psychological Association. He is Vice-President of the National Autistic Society and was President of the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR). He was Chair of the NICE Guideline Development Group for Autism (Adults) and was Chair of the Psychology Section of the British Academy.  

He received a knighthood in the New Year’s Honours List 2021 for services to autism and was awarded the Medical Research Council (MRC) Millennium Medal 2023, which is the highest personal award for medical researchers in the UK, in recognition of his pioneering research into the prenatal sex steroid theory of autism, his establishment of the ARC, and his work in the public understanding of neurodiversity.