Kenneth French is an American finance professor known for his work in asset pricing and investment strategies. He is best recognized for co-developing the Fama-French three-factor model with Eugene Fama, which expands on the traditional Capital Asset Pricing Model by including size and value factors to explain stock returns. French has contributed significantly to the field of finance through his research and publications. He is also a co-founder of the Fama-French data library, which provides valuable datasets for researchers and practitioners in finance, enhancing the understanding of market behavior and investment performance.