From refugee camp to Nobel stage: Palestinian scientist wins Chemistry Prize
Jordanian-born scientist honored alongside Kitagawa, Robson for revolutionizing molecular materials that harvest water and capture carbon
STOCKHOLM, Sweden (MNTV) — Jordanian-American chemist of Palestinian origin, Omar M. Yaghi, has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, alongside Japan’s Susumu Kitagawa and Australia’s Richard Robson, for groundbreaking work in developing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)—a new class of crystalline materials capable of trapping gases, harvesting water from desert air, and capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said the trio’s discoveries have “opened vast new frontiers in molecular architecture,” allowing researchers to design porous materials with tailored properties. Their innovations are transforming how scientists think about gas storage, catalysis, and environmental cleanup.
Robson’s early experiments in the late 1980s laid the groundwork by combining copper ions with organic linkers to form crystalline frameworks.
Kitagawa later enhanced the flexibility and stability of these materials, but it was Yaghi who advanced the field into a new era—developing what he termed reticular chemistry, the science of stitching molecular building blocks into robust, highly porous structures.
His work made it possible to rationally design MOFs for specific purposes, from energy-efficient gas separation to sustainable water generation in arid regions.
Heiner Linke, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, called the trio’s contribution “a leap forward in our ability to engineer materials with unprecedented control over their atomic structure.”
He added that MOFs “represent one of the most versatile and promising innovations in modern chemistry.”
Yaghi, now a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, said during the Nobel press conference that his lifelong dream has been to “capture air, separate its components—carbon dioxide, oxygen, water—and convert them into useful materials using renewable energy.”
His work has already inspired practical technologies, including atmospheric water harvesters and carbon-capture systems developed by his spin-off companies Atoco and H2MOF.
From refugee roots to scientific renown
Born in Amman, Jordan, in 1965 to a family of Palestinian refugees, Omar Mwannes Yaghi grew up in modest conditions that shaped his scientific curiosity. In interviews, he has recalled studying by a single bulb in a crowded home shared with livestock—an experience that instilled in him both humility and determination.
At age 15, he moved to the United States, speaking little English, and enrolled at Hudson Valley Community College before earning his chemistry degree from the University at Albany. He later completed his PhD at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and undertook postdoctoral research at Harvard University.
Yaghi’s academic career spanned several leading institutions—Arizona State University, the University of Michigan, and UCLA—before he joined UC Berkeley in 2012, where he now holds the title of University Professor and leads research at the Berkeley Global Science Institute.
There, he developed the conceptual foundations of reticular chemistry, enabling the synthesis of both MOFs and covalent organic frameworks (COFs)—materials with atomic precision and virtually limitless potential.
Beyond the lab, Yaghi is known for his mentorship of young scientists and his advocacy for global scientific collaboration. In 2025, he became President of the World Cultural Council, an organization promoting scientific and cultural advancement worldwide.
Over the years, he has received numerous honors, including the Wolf Prize in Chemistry, the Albert Einstein World Award of Science, the Tang Prize, and the Balzan Prize. He has also been elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina.
Yaghi describes science as “the greatest equalizing force in the world.” His journey—from a small home in Amman to the stage of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences—embodies that conviction, reflecting how curiosity and perseverance can transcend barriers of circumstance, geography, and privilege.
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