Who is Saudi-American citizen Omar Yaghi, the 2025 Nobel Chemistry Laureate?

Omar Mounes Yaghi, a chemist known for pioneering reticular chemistry and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), has been named one of the winners of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on Wednesday.

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The Nobel Committee said the prize was jointly awarded to Omar Yaghi, Susumu Kitagawa, and Richard Robson “for developing metal-organic frameworks,” advanced materials used in gas storage, carbon capture, and catalysis.

The laureates will share the $1.2 million prize.

Background and early life

Born in Amman, Jordan, in 1965 to a Palestinian family, Yaghi earned global recognition for contributions that have reshaped modern chemistry.

He currently holds the James and Neeltje Tretter Chair in Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, serves as a faculty scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and is the founding director of the Berkeley Global Science Institute.

Yaghi is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences and the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina.

Academic path

He began his studies at Hudson Valley Community College in the US, completed his undergraduate degree at the University at Albany, and earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1990.

Yaghi pursued postdoctoral research at Harvard University (1990–1992) before teaching at the University of Arizona (1992–1998), University of Michigan (1999–2006), and University of California, Los Angeles (2007–2012).

He joined UC Berkeley in 2012, where he continues to lead research in advanced materials.

Scientific achievements

Yaghi is credited with founding the field of reticular chemistry, which focuses on linking molecular building blocks through strong bonds to form open crystalline networks.

His work on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs) has enabled applications in clean energy, water harvesting from air, and environmental sustainability.

Awards and recognition

Throughout his career, Yaghi has received numerous international honors, including:

• The King Faisal International Prize for Chemistry (2015)

• The Albert Einstein World Award of Science

• The Mustafa Prize in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

• Multiple fellowships and honorary memberships in leading scientific academies

Nationality

Born in Jordan to Palestinian parents, Yaghi was granted Saudi citizenship in 2021 through a royal decree that had been issued to grant Saudi citizenship to several prominent specialists from different fields.

The move was in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, including encouraging talented individuals to relocate to the Kingdom, localizing foreign investment, and “creating an appropriate social and investment environment,” according to a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency at the time.

Legacy

Widely regarded as one of the world’s most influential chemists, Yaghi’s work bridges scientific innovation with practical solutions to climate and resource challenges.

His 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry cements a career devoted to building – both literally and figuratively – the frameworks that define modern materials science.

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Saudi-American citizen Omar Yaghi among winners of Nobel Prize in Chemistry