Simone is a UNSW Scientia Associate Professor within the Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health. Her area of research is social determinants of health in ageing and dementia and functional impairment in older people. Simone has a PhD in Psychology (Ludwig Maximilian University Munich) and worked previously in the field of depression and cognitive function at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich until 2008 before she moved to Australia. Her current research focuses mainly on cognitive impairment including dementia, complex everyday activities in old age and mental health in people with cognitive disorders. Through her research, Simone aims to improve health and mental health outcomes for people with cognitive and mental disorders. She uses a range of methods, including interrogation of large linked datasets, development of diagnostic tools and analysis of factors associated with depression and self-harm in late-life and cognitive decline. Simone has published over 120 peer-reviewed publications with a total of >6900 citations.

Simone is also a Postgraduate Research Coordinator for the Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, and member of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Higher Degree Committee.