Omar Yaghi in KAUST: The 2025 Nobel Prize is the fruit of leadership's support for scientific research
In a significant scientific and national event, the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) today celebrated Professor Omar Mounis Yaghi, winner of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, at its headquarters in Riyadh. This honor recognizes him as the first Saudi scientist to receive this prestigious international award and acknowledges his pivotal role as supervisor of the Joint Center of Excellence in Nanomaterials for Clean Energy Applications, a collaboration between KACST and the University of California, Berkeley.
Scientific leadership and retinal chemistry
This achievement is the culmination of a remarkable journey in establishing and developing reticular chemistry, a science that has opened new horizons in materials engineering at the molecular level. The strategic importance of this science lies in its revolutionary applications, particularly in the fields of clean energy, carbon capture, and atmospheric water harvesting—solutions that directly address global environmental challenges and the Sustainable Development Goals.
During the ceremony, which was attended by His Excellency the Mayor of the city, Dr. Munir bin Mahmoud Al-Dasouqi, Professor Omar Yaghi emphasized that this victory is not merely an individual achievement, but rather the fruit of a stimulating environment created by the wise leadership – may God support them. Yaghi pointed out that the unlimited support for the research and innovation system, stemming from the Kingdom's Vision 2030, has transformed the Kingdom from a consumer of knowledge to a producer of it and a competitor in international forums, placing Saudi scientists on par with their counterparts in developed countries.
Honoring AI innovators
On the sidelines of the celebration, the city honored the winners of the "Artificial Intelligence Materials Discovery Hackathon," which exemplifies the integration of modern technologies and basic sciences. The NajdGenesis-Al team won first place for their innovative project: a Saudi generative AI platform for creating hybrid biomaterials to capture carbon dioxide. The Fabricator.ai team came in second for their system for designing and manufacturing metal-organic framework-based materials, while the Prime-MOF team took third place for their development of large-scale language models to predict the stability of metal-organic frameworks.
Inspiring future generations
The event concluded with an inspiring dialogue session between Professor Yaghi and a select group of talented students and young researchers. During the session, Professor Yaghi shared highlights from his scientific journey, emphasizing the importance of patience and perseverance in scientific research, and the necessity of building a solid academic foundation. These meetings are a cornerstone for transferring expertise and motivating young minds to continue their path of innovation, thus strengthening the Kingdom's position as a global hub for science and technology.
