Biography

Professor Friend began her academic career in the Chemistry Department at Harvard University in 1982 after completing her Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of California in 1981 and after a year of postdoctoral research at Stanford University. She is distinguished both by her significant contributions to her research field and by her service to Harvard University and the broader community. In her research, Professor Friend has focused on the fundamentals of reactions at metal surfaces, combining her background in organometallic and physical chemistry with materials synthesis. She has built a world-class laboratory in surface chemistry and has been a leader in the field of organometallic surface chemistry. Recently, she has established a mechanistic basis for energy-efficient, catalytic synthetic processes, especially those involving Au. Her work has been recognized by a number of national and international awards, including the 2009 American Chemical Society (ACS) George C. Olah Award in Hydrocarbon Chemistry, a Senior Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in 2007, election as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2009, and the 1991 ACS Garvan Medal. In recognition of her research and teaching accomplishments, she was appointed as the Morris Kahn Associate Professor in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences in 1988 and was promoted to the rank of Professor of Chemistry in 1989. In 1998, she was named the Theodore Williams Richards Professor of Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology (CCB). Professor Friend served as Chair of the Harvard Chemistry Department from 2004 to 2007. She has also been feature in a permanent exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum, “Science in American Life”, since 1992.
Professor Friend is carrying-out numerous roles within the Harvard community. Since 2002, she has served as Associate Director of the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) and as a Professor of Materials Science in the Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences. She has also served as Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences in 2002-05. Professor Friend also serves on the Executive Committees of the Harvard Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC).
Professor Friend has been an important supporter and developer of work/family policies, the development of policies and procedures related to junior faculty development and the consideration of specific gender-related issues important to the growth of the University. She was the Chair of the FAS Standing Committee on the Status of Women (1991-94) and has represented Harvard in several external meetings concerned with women in the natural sciences, including a pivotal meeting held at MIT in 1999. Prof. Friend was also the Co-Chair of a national workshop, “Building Strong Academic Chemistry Departments through Gender Equity”, in 2006 that has had major impact through recommendations adopted by many institutions and through broadening to other fields of science and engineering. She has also actively fostered innovative instruction of undergraduates and enthusiastically mentored undergraduates in research in her laboratory. Professor Friend also serves on several boards, including the Clare Boothe Luce Committee, which provides resources for women in science in the US.