BIDMaP is thrilled to announce that Professor Omar M. Yaghi, BIDMaP Co-Director and Chief Scientist, has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, shared with Susumu Kitagawa and Richard Robson, for the development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).
Metal-organic frameworks are crystalline, porous networks formed by linking metal clusters with organic molecules, creating internal cavities through which gases and molecules can flow. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences cited Yaghi, Kitagawa and Robson’s work on MOFs for their uses “to harvest water from desert air, capture carbon dioxide, store toxic gases or catalyze chemical reactions.”
Yaghi, who is the James and Neeltje Tretter Chair in the College of Chemistry, embodies the cross-disciplinary bridge between physical science and computation that defines BIDMaP. As Co-Director and Chief Scientist, Yaghi has played a central role in shaping the institute’s trajectory.
“This recognition of Omar’s lifetime of work is a testament not only to his scientific excellence, but to his power of bridging disciplines. He is an inspiration to all of us at BIDMaP, from our postdocs to the faculty collaborating with him to the co-founders of his startup. Omar’s spirit of ‘if you can dream it, you can make it’ creates new materials, new collaborations across disciplines and in fact, an entirely new science of materials.” — Christian Borgs, BIDMaP Faculty Director
“We are deeply proud that our Co-Director and Chief Scientist has been honored with the Nobel. This is a moment for all of BIDMaP—not only to celebrate, but to accelerate our work. Omar’s tremendous achievement will help galvanize new collaborations, attract extraordinary talent, and amplify our reach around the world.” — Sarah Jones, BIDMaP Executive Director
This milestone brings new visibility, momentum, and opportunity for BIDMaP. It will catalyze further cross-disciplinary collaborations, attract exceptional talent, deepen partnerships, and strengthen our impact across the global scientific community.
Please join us in celebrating Omar Yaghi and his spectacular achievement. We will share additional stories, interviews, and features in the coming days.