Richard Friend

Sir Richard Friend
Friend in Finland in 2010
Born	Richard Henry Friend (1953-01-18) 18 January 1953 (age 64) London
Fields	Optoelectronics Polymer Light-Emitting Diodes Thin-Film Field-Effect Transistors Time-resolved optical spectroscopy Perovskite solar cell Photovoltaics
Institutions	Eight19 Ltd Cavendish Laboratory University of Cambridge Cambridge Display Technology (CDT) Plastic Logic St John's College, Cambridge National University of Singapore
Alma mater	Trinity College, Cambridge University of Paris-Sud
Thesis	Transport properties and lattice instabilities in one and two dimensional metals (1979)
Doctoral advisor	Abraham Yoffe Denis Jérome
Doctoral students	Henry Snaith
Known for	Plastic electronics OLED Organic field-effect transistor
Notable awards	Millennium Technology Prize (2010) IOP Swan Medal and Prize (2009) Kt (2003) Faraday Medal (2003) FREng (2002) Rumford Medal (1998) Europhysics Prize (1996) FRS (1993)
Spouse	Carol Anne Maxwell (née Beales)
Website www.phy.cam.ac.uk/directory/friendr www.oe.phy.cam.ac.uk/people/oestaff/rhf10.htm

Sir Richard Henry Friend (born 18 January 1953) FRS FREng is Cavendish Professor of Physics at the University of Cambridge and Tan Chin Tuan Centennial Professor at the National University of Singapore. Friend's research concerns the physics and engineering of carbon-based semiconductors.

Friend was educated at Rugby School and Trinity College, Cambridge, gaining a PhD in 1979.

Friend's research has been applied to development of polymer field effect transistors, light-emitting diodes, photovoltaic diodes, optically pumped lasing and directly printed polymer transistors. He pioneered the study of organic polymers and the electronic properties of molecular semiconductors. He is also one of the principal investigators in the new Cambridge-based Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration (IRC) on nanotechnology and co-founder of Cambridge Display Technology (CDT) and Plastic Logic. Friend has over 600 publications and more than 20 patents. Friend’s research has been used to develop flat panel displays and future screens that can be rolled and transported.

In March 2003 Friend won the IEE's Faraday Medal. He was knighted for "services to physics" in the 2003 Birthday Honours.