Richard Friend facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Richard Friend
FRS HonFInstP FREng
|
|
|---|---|
Friend in Finland in 2010
|
|
| Born |
Richard Henry Friend
18 January 1953 London
|
| Alma mater |
|
| Known for |
|
| Spouse(s) | Carol Anne Maxwell (née Beales) |
| Awards |
|
| Scientific career | |
| Fields |
|
| Institutions |
|
| Thesis | Transport properties and lattice instabilities in one and two dimensional metals (1979) |
| Doctoral advisor |
|
| Doctoral students | Henry Snaith Ana Claudia Arias Anna Köhler (scientist) |
Sir Richard Henry Friend (born 18 January 1953) is a famous 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 Friend studies and works with carbon-based semiconductors. These are special materials that can conduct electricity. His work helps us understand how these materials behave. He also helps lead the Scientific Advisory Board for Singapore's National Research Foundation.
Contents
Early Life and Education
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 Research and Discoveries
Sir Richard Friend's research has led to many cool inventions. He helped develop polymer field effect transistors. These are tiny electronic switches made from plastics. He also worked on light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and photovoltaic diodes. These devices turn light into electricity.
He was a pioneer in studying organic polymers. These are plastic-like materials with special electronic properties. He also looked into molecular semiconductors. These are materials made of molecules that can conduct electricity.
Sir Richard Friend helped start two important companies. One is Cambridge Display Technology (CDT). The other is Plastic Logic. Both companies work on new electronic devices using his research. He has written over 1,000 scientific papers!
Awards and Special Honours
Sir Richard Friend has received many important awards for his work.
Major Awards
- In March 2003, he won the Faraday Medal from the IEE. This is a very important award in electrical engineering.
- 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 doctorate from Heriot-Watt University.
- In 2009, he won the Katharine Burr Blodgett Medal and Prize.
- In 2010, he was one of three people to win the Millennium Technology Prize. This award is for developing "plastic electronics." These are flexible electronic devices.
- In 2011, he received the Harvey Prize from the Technion in Israel.
- He was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2013. This was for his work in science, engineering, and bringing organic polymer semiconductor devices to the market.
- In 2024, he was awarded the Isaac Newton Medal.
Other Recognitions
Sir Richard Friend is also a fellow of St John's College, Cambridge. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) in 2002. He also became a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1993. These are very high honors for scientists and engineers.
Personal Life
Sir Richard Friend lives in Cambridge. He is married to Carol Anne Maxwell. They have two daughters.
