Simon leads the Creative Economies Lab. His research interests include understanding the politics of creativity, finding better ways to demonstrate the value of arts and culture, and building more equitable futures for creative work.

He is the Director of Bristol+Bath Creative R+D (AHRC), supporting sustainable, inclusive, and responsible R&D in the creative sector. He leads Fair Creative Economies (funded by MyWorld, UKRI), exploring ethical ways of organising in the creative economy. He also oversees Container, an online magazine exploring how technology is used for creativity, community, and social justice.

He is Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and is an artist​ and author, drawing and writing about everyday life, focusing on the geographies and histories of memory, and our relationship to place and time.