Saudi scientist Professor Omar Yaghi has won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, becoming the first Saudi to receive the award, a Saudi Press Agency report said.
Yaghi, who works at University of California, Berkeley, US, shares the Nobel for Chemistry with Susumu Kitagawa (Kyoto University, Japan), and Richard Robson (University of Melbourne, Australia).
The award is in recognition of Yaghi's pioneering contributions to establishing the field of reticular chemistry and developing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs), which have revolutionised materials science and opened new horizons for clean energy, water, and environmental applications.
Yaghi, regarded as one of the world’s leading figures in reticular chemistry, has published over 300 scientific papers with more than 250,000 citations. He has also contributed to establishing several international companies and launched initiatives dedicated to clean energy and materials science, said a Saudi Press Agency report.
His exceptional achievements have earned him numerous prestigious international honours, including the King Faisal Prize in Science, the Albert Einstein World Award of Science, the Wolf Prize in Chemistry, the Eni Award, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Gregori Aminoff Prize, the VinFuture Prize, the Ernest Solvay Prize, and the Great Arab Minds Award, in addition to receiving several medals, prestigious awards and global rankings.
President of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) Dr Munir Eldesouki said: “Dr Yaghi’s Nobel win reflects the wise leadership’s vision of making the Kingdom a global hub for science, knowledge, and innovation. It confirms that investing in creative minds is the path to building a sustainable future for humanity. His innovations in designing and producing nanomaterials capable of extracting water from air are a remarkable example of how science transforms passion into impact.”
Yaghi has received the Saudi citizenship in recognition of his distinguished scientific achievements and contributions to reticular chemistry and nanomaterials. The move aligns with the Saudi Vision 2030’s goal of fostering an environment that attracts exceptional global talent in fields vital to economic, technological, and scientific advancement, which can boost innovation in the Kingdom.
Yaghi is also a co-director at the KACST–UC Berkeley Center of Excellence for Nanomaterials for Clean Energy Applications, an advisor to KACST president, and a board member of the Research, Development and Innovation Authority, the report added.
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