William (Ned) Friedman
Director of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
Examiner Club President
Ned Friedman among the Arnold Arboretum’s Conifer Collection
William (Ned) Friedman is the Arnold Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and the eighth Director of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University in its 150-year history. Friedman’s scholarly studies have fundamentally altered century-old views of the earliest phases of the evolution of flowering plants, Darwin’s so-called “abominable mystery.” He is also deeply interested in the history of early (pre-Darwinian) evolutionary thought and is particularly focused on the largely forgotten contributions of horticulturists and botanists.
As Director of the Arnold Arboretum, Friedman has worked to expand the Arboretum’s societal impact through diverse initiatives in public programming, digital communications (such as his “Posts from the Collections”), enhanced dialogue between scientists and the public, the promotion of scientific scholarship (especially global change research) within the living collections, and a reinvigoration of the long-standing relationship between the Arboretum and the biodiversity of Asia.
During the pandemic, the Arnold Arboretum was one of the only botanical gardens or arboreta in the world to remain open throughout. Some three or four million visitors have made the Arboretum their restorative refuge since March of 2020, an astonishing number in light of historical estimates. As he continues to lead the Arboretum forward to its sesquicentennial year in 2022 and the launch of the Arnold’s next century of impact, two fundamental priorities will dominate the Arboretum’s focus: doubling down on environmental justice and spatial equity, and committing to do everything possible to combat climate change and extinction.
Honors include: Medal of Honor, Garden Club of America (2022); Gold Medal, Massachusetts Horticultural Society (2021); Foreign Member of the Linnean Society of London (limited to 50 worldwide, 2017); Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2011); Pelton Award, Botanical Society of America (for sustained and imaginative contributions in the field of plant developmental biology, 2004); National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator Award (1991)
Friedman is president of the Examiner Club, starting in Fall 2022.
WEBSITES:
https://plantmorphology.org/early-evolutionists/
HIGHLIGHTS:
Ned Friedman publishes a regular newsletter from the Arnold Arboretum, showcasing points of interest occurring seasonally on the Arboretum’s historic grounds. This one is from Spring 2022.