John N. Friedman is a professor of economics at Brown University, as well as a founding co-director of Opportunity Insights. He studies the causes and consequences of inequality for kids, as well as policies to improve opportunities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Friedman's work has appeared in top academic journals as well as in major media outlets and was cited by President Obama in his 2012 State of the Union Address. He has shaped policies at the federal, state and local levels.  

Most recently, Friedman and his colleagues at Opportunity Insights have published a research paper, "Diversifying Society’s Leaders? The Determinants and Causal Effects of Admission to Highly Selective Private Colleges," which addresses the issue that highly selective private colleges currently amplify the persistence of privilege across generations, but could diversify the socioeconomic backgrounds of America's leaders by changing their admissions practices.

Friedman worked as a special assistant to the president for economic policy at the National Economic Council in the White House. He is also a research associate at NBER, a member of the Treasury Advisory Council on Racial Equity for the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and co-editor of the American Economic Review. He became the economics department chair in July 2021.