Omar M. Yaghi, a Palestinian refugee born in Amman, Jordan, in 1965, has been named a 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate for his pioneering work on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), sharing the honor with Susumu Kitagawa and Richard Robson. From a childhood marked by displacement, Yaghi rose through academic rigor, earning a PhD from the University of Illinois and developing reticular chemistry—a method to create porous, crystalline structures with vast applications. His MOFs, likened to an enchanted handbag for their immense internal surface area, capture water from air, trap carbon dioxide, and store hydrogen, addressing global challenges like climate change and water scarcity.
Yaghi’s journey from exile to global acclaim embodies resilience and innovation. Now a University Professor at UC Berkeley, where he learned of his Nobel win during a layover in 2025, Yaghi has transformed chemistry with stable, customizable frameworks that inspire startups like H2MOF and earn accolades like the 2018 Wolf Prize. His work, honored by the Nobel Committee for creating “new rooms for chemistry,” offers hope for sustainable solutions, proving that from the fragments of a refugee’s life, one can build a legacy that reshapes the world.
