Cynthia M. Friend Named Incoming President of the Kavli Foundation

Dr. Cynthia M. Friend steps into the role of president of the Kavli Foundation following Dr. Bob Conn's retirement.

The Kavli Foundation recently announced that it has selected Dr. Cynthia M. Friend, Theodore Williams Richards Professor of Chemistry at Harvard University, as its next president. Dr. Friend steps into this role on January 1, 2021, following current resident and CEO Dr. Bob Conn's retirement.

"Dr. Friend assumes the presidency of The Kavli Foundation as we celebrate our 20th anniversary. As a distinguished scientist with proven executive leadership skills, her appointment as president assures that The Kavli Foundation will continue its extraordinary impact on the scientific enterprise through its visionary leadership and its philanthropy. Her well-recognized interdisciplinary approach and collaborative style will serve her well with all our constituencies, inside and outside the foundation. I look forward to participating with her to create an exciting future for The Kavli Foundation in the science it supports," remarked Chairman of the Board, Rockell N. Hankin.

Dr. Friend comes from Harvard University where she has served as a member of the faculty since 1982. Among her many leadership roles, she was Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and she was the first female chair and the first female professor in chemistry at Harvard.

For more information, read the full announcement on the Kavli Foundation's website.

All of us at the Kavli Nanoscience Institute at Caltech send a warm welcome to Dr. Friend and a heartfelt Thank You to Dr. Conn for his many years of steadfast leadership.