John N Friedman is the Inaugural Vascellaro Family Dean at the Watson School of International and Public Affairs at Brown University. He is also the Briger Family Distinguished Professor of Economics and International and Public Affairs, as well as a founding co-Director of Opportunity Insights. His work uses big data to study the causes and consequences of inequality for kids, as well as policies to improve opportunity for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

His work has appeared in top academic journals as well as in major media outlets, has been cited by President Obama in his 2012 State of the Union Address, and has shaped policies at the federal, state, and local level. He worked as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy at the National Economic Council in the White House during the Obama Administration. He is also a Research Associate at NBER and Co-Editor at the flagship journal in the profession, the American Economic Review.