Since 1995, Simek has been Professor and Chair of Ancient German and Nordic Studies at the University of Bonn.

Simek has held a number of visiting professorships, having had long research stays at the universities of Reykjavik, Copenhagen, London, Oxford and Sydney.

From 2000 to 2003, Simek was Chairman of the International Saga Society (German: Internationalen-Saga-Gesellschaft).

[1] Simek researches a wide variety of topics connected to the Middle Ages.

Simek has published a number of notable works on these subjects, several of which have been translated into multiple languages.