Arab-American Scientist Omar Yaghi Receives 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on Wednesday that Omar Mounes Yaghi has won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, alongside Susumu Kitagawa and Richard Robson, in recognition of their groundbreaking development of Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs) — a revolutionary class of materials with vast applications in gas storage, catalysis, water harvesting, and beyond.

The Nobel Committee made the announcement on its official X (Twitter) account, celebrating their “pioneering work in developing Metal–Organic Frameworks.” The prestigious award, which dates back more than a century, comes with a prize of 11 million Swedish kronor (about $1.2 million USD), to be shared among the laureates.

Who is Omar Yaghi?

Born in Amman in 1965, Omar Yaghi is a Jordanian scientist of Palestinian origin. He currently holds the James and Neeltje Tretter Chair Professor of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, is a faculty scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and is the founding director of the Berkeley Global Science Institute.

Yaghi’s academic journey began in the United States, where he studied at Hudson Valley Community College, then at the University at Albany, before earning his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois in 1990. He then worked as a fellow at Harvard University (1990–1992) and held teaching positions at several top institutions:

• University of Arizona (1992–1998)

• University of Michigan (1999–2006)

• UCLA (2007–2012)

• UC Berkeley (2012–present)

Scientific Achievements:

Yaghi is best known for founding the field of Reticular Chemistry, which focuses on linking molecular building blocks with strong bonds to create open frameworks. This groundbreaking approach led to the creation of MOFs, which have become central to modern materials science due to their customizable structures and extraordinary surface areas.

His work has earned him numerous international awards, including:

• King Faisal International Prize in Chemistry (2015)

• Mustafa Prize in Nano Science and Technology

• Albert Einstein World Award of Science

• First-Class Order of Excellence Medal from King Abdullah II (2017)

He was named the second most influential chemist in the world between 1998 and 2008, and in 2011 he was ranked second globally among chemists based on scientific impact.

Global Impact and Arab Pride:

Yaghi’s journey — from a student in American classrooms to a globally celebrated scientist — highlights the power of perseverance, innovation, and cross-cultural scientific collaboration. He became a Saudi citizen in 2021 and received the “Arab Genius Award” in 2024, further cementing his role as a leading figure in Arab and global scientific communities.