Palestinian Refugee Omar M. Yaghi Wins 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Omar M. Yaghi, a chemist born to Palestinian refugees in Jordan, has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his pioneering work in developing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), a breakthrough molecular architecture with transformative applications. Yaghi shares the prize with Susumu Kitagawa of Japan and Richard Robson of Australia.
Born in 1965 in Amman to a Palestinian refugee family, Yaghi grew up in a one-room home that his family shared with livestock. With limited resources and parents who could barely read or write, he developed a fascination with chemistry from the age of 10, when he discovered a book on molecules in a local library. Despite his humble beginnings and a challenging upbringing without electricity or running water, Yaghi moved to the United States at age 15 to pursue education.
His Nobel-winning research focuses on MOFs—highly porous, stable crystals formed by linking metal ions and organic molecules. These "Lego-like" structures can be custom-designed to capture gases, store fuels such as hydrogen and methane, harvest water from air in dry regions, and catalyse important chemical reactions. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences described these frameworks as groundbreaking molecular constructions with vast internal spaces that address global challenges such as climate change and water scarcity.
Yaghi is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where he directs research programs and promotes international collaboration through the Berkeley Global Science Institute. Over his career, he has published over 300 scientific papers cited more than 250,000 times, becoming one of the most influential chemists globally. Besides the Nobel Prize, he has received prestigious awards including the Wolf Prize, Tang Prize, and the Von Hippel Award.
Reflecting on his journey, Yaghi said, "Science is the greatest equalizing force in the world," highlighting how knowledge and perseverance transcended his difficult early life circumstances.
