Cynthia M. Friend, Ph.D, is the president of The Kavli Foundation. Prior to joining the foundation in January 2021, Dr. Friend was a member of the Harvard University faculty since 1982. At Harvard she served in numerous leadership positions, including Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. She was the first female chair and the first female professor in chemistry at Harvard. Dr. Friend also served as Director of The Rowland Institute at Harvard from 2013 to 2019. She also held the role of Associate Lab Director at SLAC National Accelerator Lab, a preeminent international facility for X-ray science.
As a researcher, Dr. Friend published more than 300 papers. Her research group at Harvard University focused on addressing global challenges in reducing energy costs and in developing alternative energy sources. She was a research advisor for more than 75 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers and also led efforts to change policies in universities and other organizations to promote diversity.