From Refugee to Nobel Laureate: How Omar Yaghi Revolutionized Chemistry with Metal-Organic Frameworks

Omar Yaghi became fascinated with molecular structures at just 10 years old after discovering them in a book.

Sweden:

Nobel chemistry laureate Omar Yaghi, born to Palestinian refugees in Jordan with minimal education, described science as an "equalising force" during his acceptance speech on Wednesday.

The Jordanian-American scientist shared the 2025 Nobel Prize with Susumu Kitagawa of Japan and Richard Robson from the UK for their pioneering work on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which have applications in carbon dioxide capture and extracting water from desert air.

"I was raised in extremely modest conditions. Twelve of us lived in a single small room, sharing the space with our livestock," he revealed in his post-award interview with the Nobel Foundation.

His childhood home lacked electricity and running water. His father's education ended after sixth grade, while his mother was illiterate.

Born in 1965, Yaghi spent his formative years in Amman, Jordan, before emigrating to the United States at age 15, following his strict father's guidance.

His passion for chemistry began when he sneaked into his school's locked library at age 10 and discovered a book containing molecular structures with "unintelligible but captivating" illustrations.

"It has been quite a remarkable journey," he reflected, acknowledging science as the enabler of his success.

"Science serves as the world's greatest equalising force," Yaghi emphasized.

"Intelligence, talent, and skill exist everywhere. That's why we must focus on unleashing people's potential by providing opportunities."

His research team successfully demonstrated water extraction from desert air in Arizona.

"I began my independent career at Arizona State University with the modest dream of publishing just one paper that would receive 100 citations," he recounted.

"Now my students point out that our research group has accumulated over 250,000 citations."

"Chemistry's beauty lies in controlling matter at atomic and molecular levels, which creates enormous potential," he explained.

"We essentially discovered a gold mine, which allowed the field to flourish," Yaghi concluded.