Omar M. Yaghi

Omar Mwannes Yaghi
Native name	عمر مونّس ياغي
Born	(1965-02-09)February 9, 1965 Amman, Jordan
Alma mater	University at Albany, SUNY University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Harvard University
Awards	Solid State Chemistry Award (1998) Sacconi Medal (2004) Materials Research Society Medal (2007) Newcomb Cleveland Prize (2007) American Chemical Society Chemistry of Materials Award (2009) Centenary Prize (2010) King Faisal International Prize (2015) Mustafa Prize (2015) TÜBA Academy Prize (2016) Spiers Memorial Award (2017) Kuwait Prize (2017) Albert Einstein World Award of Science (2017) BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Basic Sciences (2018) Wolf Prize in Chemistry (2018) Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (2018) ENI award for Energy (2018) Gregori Aminoff Prize (2019)
Scientific career
Fields	Chemistry
Institutions	University of California, Berkeley
Doctoral advisor	Prof. Walter G. Klemperer
Website	yaghi.berkeley.edu

Omar M. Yaghi (Arabic: عمر مونّس ياغي, born February 9, 1965) is a Jordanian-American chemist, currently the James and Neeltje Tretter Chair Professor of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley. Yaghi is renowned for having pioneered reticular chemistry, which is a new field of chemistry that is concerned with stitching molecular building blocks together by strong bonds to make open frameworks.^[1][2][3] His most recognizable work is in the design and production of new classes of compounds known as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs),^[4][5] zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs),^[6] and covalent organic frameworks (COFs).^[7] MOFs are noted for their extremely high surface areas (7003564000000000000♠5640 m²/g for MOF-177)^[8] and very low crystalline densities (6999170000000000000♠0.17 g·cm⁻³ for COF-108).^[9] He has developed these materials from basic science toward applications in clean energy technologies including hydrogen and methane storage,^[10][11] carbon dioxide capture and storage,^[12][13] as well as harvesting water from desert air.^[14]

Biography

Yaghi was born in Amman, Jordan in 1965 to a refugee family.^[15][16] At the age of 15, he moved to the United States at the encouragement of his father.^[17] Although he knew little English, he began classes at Hudson Valley Community College. He later transferred to the University at Albany, SUNY to finish his degree. He began his graduate studies at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign at the age of 20 and received his PhD in 1990 under the guidance of Prof. Walter G. Klemperer. He was a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University (1990–1992) with Professor Richard H. Holm. He was on the faculties of Arizona State University (1992–1998), the University of Michigan (1999–2006), and the University of California, Los Angeles (2007-2012).

In 2012, he moved to the University of California, Berkeley where he is now the James and Neeltje Tretter Professor of Chemistry. He is the Founding Director of the Berkeley Global Science Institute. He is also a Co-Director of the Kavli Energy NanoSciences Institute of the University of California, Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, as well as the California Research Alliance by BASF. His early accomplishments in the design and synthesis of new materials have been honored by the Solid State Chemistry Award of the American Chemical Society and Exxon Co. (1998) and the Sacconi Medal of the Italian Chemical Society (2004). His work on hydrogen storage was recognized by Popular Science which listed him among the 'Brilliant 10' scientists and engineers in the United States in 2006,^[18] and the US Department of Energy Hydrogen Program Award for outstanding contributions to hydrogen storage (2007). He received the Materials Research Society Medal for work in the theory, design, synthesis and applications of metal-organic frameworks^[19] and received the Newcomb Cleveland Prize of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for the best paper published in Science (2007).^[20] He is the recipient of the American Chemical Society Chemistry of Materials Award (2009),^[21] Izatt-Christensen International Award (2009),^[22] United Kingdom's Royal Society of Chemistry Centenary Prize (2010),^[23] as well as China Nano Award (2013).^[24] He is the second most cited chemist in the world (2000–2010).^[25] In 2015 he was awarded both the King Faisal International Prize in Chemistry^[26] and the Mustafa Prize in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.^[27] In 2016 he was awarded TÜBA Academy Prize in Basic and Engineering Sciences for establishing Reticular Chemistry.^[28][29] In 2017, Yaghi was awarded the Spiers Memorial Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry,^[30] the Medal of Excellence of the First Order bestowed by King Abdullah II,^[31] the Japan Society of Coordination Chemistry International Award,^[32] the Bailar Medal in Inorganic Chemistry,^[33] the Kuwait Prize in Fundamental Sciences,^[34] and the Albert Einstein World Award of Science conferred by the World Cultural Council.^[35] In 2018, Yaghi was awarded the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Basic Sciences for pioneering Reticular Chemistry,^[36] and also in 2018 he received the Wolf Prize in Chemistry in which he was cited for pioneering reticular chemistry via metal-organic frameworks and covalent organic frameworks.^[37][38] His work on water harvesting from desert air using metal-organic frameworks^[39][40][41] was showcased by the World Economic Forum in Switzerland as one of the top 10 emerging technologies,^[42] and Yaghi was awarded the 2018 Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.^[43] Yaghi also received the 2018 Eni Award for excellence in energy in recognition of his work in applying framework chemistry to clean energy solutions including methane storage, carbon dioxide capture and conversion, and water harvesting from desert air.^[44][45]

References

External links

• Omar Yaghi’s global journey
• The beauty of molecules - an Interview with Omar Yaghi
• The Yaghi group website.