Arlyne Simon

Arlyne Simon is a biomedical engineer, children’s book author, and entrepreneur with two medical device patents. She is best known for inventing a blood test that can detect when cancer patients reject a bone marrow transplant. Simon is also committed to inspiring girls to pursue a pathway in science, technology, engineering, art, and technology (STEAM).  

Simon was born on the Caribbean island of the Commonwealth of Dominica. The island is lush with wildlife and she spent much time as a child collecting caterpillars in jars and observing the spectacle of their metamorphosis into butterflies. Early childhood experiences such as this drove her to study science.  

Simon moved to the U.S. when she was 17 to enroll in college. She received her undergraduate degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and completed her graduate studies in macromolecular science and engineering at the University of Michigan. During her graduate studies, Simon was part of a team in 2012 that developed and patented a blood test to detect when a cancer patient rejects a bone marrow transplant. Simon went on to pursue a diagnostic startup called PHASIQ and worked at a medical device company called Becton Dickinson. She currently lives in Hillsboro, Oregon and works as a Platform Architect at Intel’s Health and Life Science Business Unit. There, she advises medical imaging companies about which computer hardware to use in their machines in order to obtain a better view of the human body. 

Simon’s talents extend beyond inventing and being an engineer. Recognizing the lack of minority and female representation in the sciences, she is determined to use her platform to encourage girls, particularly Black girls. Simon published a children’s book, “Abby Invents Unbreakable Crayons,” in 2018, about a young, Black girl who invents her own crayons after growing tired of them breaking. She published a second book in 2021, “Abby Invents the Foldibot,” about the same character who invents a folding laundry device. Simon said, “In all my books, Abby fails many times. Her teacher tells her, 'remember you can't quit, you have to keep going, you can't give up.'" 

Simon has received many accolades for her important work. In 2017, she was featured as a female inventor in the Women’s History Month Exhibit at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. She is also an American Association for the Advancement of Science IF/THEN ambassador. The program hopes to further women in STEM. In an interview with Sistas in STEM, Simon explained the need for Black women to become inventors. She remarked, “We have a responsibility to solve the medical, socioeconomic and tech challenges that predominantly affect us and our communities. Uterine fibroid treatment, pregnancy mortality prevention and skin tone recognition in wearables are just a few areas where innovation is needed.” 

Learn more about Arlyne Simon at www.arlynesimon.com.