Richard Friend facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Professor Sir Richard Friend FRS HonFInstP FREng
Friend in Finland in 2010
Born	Richard Henry Friend (1953-01-18) 18 January 1953 (age 72) London
Alma mater	Trinity College, Cambridge University of Paris-Sud
Known for	Plastic electronics OLED Organic field-effect transistor
Spouse(s)	Carol Anne Maxwell (née Beales)
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) Isaac Newton Medal (2024)
Scientific career
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
Thesis	Transport properties and lattice instabilities in one and two dimensional metals (1979)
Doctoral advisor	Abraham Yoffe Denis Jérome
Doctoral students	Henry Snaith Ana Claudia Arias Anna Köhler (scientist)

Sir Richard Henry Friend (born 18 January 1953) is a British physicist. He was a top professor at the University of Cambridge from 1995 to 2020. He is also a professor at the National University of Singapore. Sir Richard studies the physics and engineering of materials called semiconductors, especially those made from carbon. He also helps guide research for Singapore's National Research Foundation.

Becoming a Scientist

Sir Richard Friend went to Rugby School when he was younger. Later, he studied at Trinity College, Cambridge. He earned his PhD in 1979. His main supervisor was Abe Yoffe.

Amazing Discoveries and Inventions

Sir Richard's research has led to many cool inventions. He helped create polymer field effect transistors. These are tiny switches used in electronics. He also worked on light-emitting diodes (LEDs). These are the lights you see in screens and many devices.

His work also helped develop photovoltaic diodes, which turn light into electricity, like in solar panels. He was a pioneer in studying how organic polymers work. These are plastics that can conduct electricity. He also looked at the electronic properties of molecular semiconductors.

Sir Richard is a key researcher in nanotechnology at Cambridge. Nanotechnology is about making things super tiny. He also helped start two companies: Cambridge Display Technology (CDT) and Plastic Logic. These companies use his research to make new electronic products. He has written over 1,000 scientific papers!

Awards and Special Honours

Sir Richard Friend has received many important awards for his work.

• In 2003, he won the Faraday Medal from the Institution of Electrical Engineers.
• He was made a knight in 2003 for his great contributions to physics. This means he can use "Sir" before his name.
• In 2006, he received an honorary degree from Heriot-Watt University.
• In 2009, he won the Katharine Burr Blodgett Medal and Prize from the Institute of Physics.
• One of his biggest awards was the Millennium Technology Prize in 2010. He won it for helping to develop "plastic electronics." This is a huge step for making flexible electronic devices.
• In 2011, he received the Harvey Prize in Israel.
• He is a member of St John's College, Cambridge.
• He was also chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2002.
• In 2013, he became a member of the National Academy of Engineering. This was for his work in science, engineering, and bringing organic polymer semiconductor devices to the market.

Personal Life

Sir Richard Friend lives in Cambridge. He is married to Carol Anne Maxwell (her maiden name was Beales). They have two daughters.