Richard Friend

Richard Friend

Sir Richard Henry Friend FRS is Cavendish Professor at the University of Cambridge and Tan Chin Tuan Centennial Professor at the National University of Singapore. He is a fellow of St John's College. His research concerns the physics and engineering of carbon-based semiconductors.

His work 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. He is the founder of the company Cambridge Display Technology Ltd to capitalise and bring to market the first products using this latest semiconductor technology.

Friend's brother Peter is a professor of transplantation and director of the Oxford Transplant Centre.