Who is Omar Yaghi? The Arab scientist awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025

In a historic moment and a source of pride for the Arab world, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced today, Wednesday, the award of the Jordanian-American scientist Professor Omar Mounis Yaghi with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2025, shared with scientists Susumu Kitagawa from Japan and Richard Robson from Australia, "for their development of metal-organic frameworks" (MOFs), which are revolutionary materials with wide applications in the fields of energy, environment, and medicine.

Professor Omar Yaghi was born in the Jordanian capital Amman in 1965, to a family of Palestinian origins.

His scientific journey began at Hudson Valley Community College in New York, followed by studies at the University of Albany, and he earned his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Illinois in 1990.

He then moved between the top American universities, from Harvard to Arizona, Michigan, and UCLA, until he settled as a professor of chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, where he holds the "James and Neltjie Triter" chair, and he is also the founding director of the Berkeley Global Science Institute.

Yaghi is known as the founder of Reticular Chemistry, a scientific approach focused on linking molecular units with strong bonds to form "open structures" used in hundreds of applications, from gas storage to water purification and drug design.

Yaghi's Nobel win was not surprising to the scientific community, as he had previously been nominated for the award several times, most notably in 2015. He has received prestigious scientific awards, including:

• The King Faisal International Prize in Chemistry (2015)

• The Mustafa Prize in Nano Technology and Sciences

• The Albert Einstein World Award of Science

• First Class Excellence Medal from King Abdullah II of Jordan in 2017

• The Arab Genius Award in 2024

He was also elected a member of the American National Academy of Sciences, the German Academy of Sciences (Leopoldina), and was ranked the second-best chemist in the world between 1998 and 2008.

In 2021, Yaghi obtained Saudi citizenship as part of honoring prominent Arab scientists within the Kingdom's Vision 2030, which aims to support scientific research and attract global talents.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is considered one of the highest scientific awards in the world, with a value this year of 11 million Swedish kronor (about 1.1 million US dollars).

It was announced today in Stockholm as the third award revealed in the 2025 Nobel season, following the prizes in medicine and physics.

The Nobel Prize in Literature will follow tomorrow, Thursday, and the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, concluding with the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences on Monday.

It is worth noting that last year's (2024) Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to three researchers in the field of proteins: American David Baker, and British residents Demis Hassabis and John Jumper, for their research in artificial intelligence and proteins.

The award of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Omar Yaghi represents the culmination of an exceptional scientific career that has spanned decades, originating from the Middle East to reach the highest peaks of global scientific research.

This achievement is an honor not just for him alone, but for Arab science and its efforts in developing knowledge and innovation.