Antony Slumbers
Globally Recognized Speaker on AI and Real Estate | Creator of Space-as-a-Service | Proptech Founder & Advisor | Future of Work & Generative AI Expert
Omar Yaghi
2025 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry | Inventor of Reticular Chemistry & MOFs | Founding Director, AIMATRY Institute, Tsinghua University | Founder, Atoco & H2MOF
Omar Yaghi won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for inventing reticular chemistry and the molecular sponges, called MOFs, that harvest water from desert air, capture carbon, and store clean fuels. In 2026 he left UC Berkeley to lead AIMATRY, a new AI-driven materials institute at Tsinghua University. Founder of two deep-tech ventures, Yaghi shows leaders how AI and designed materials are becoming the platform for solving the planet's greatest crises.
Want to book Omar Yaghi as a speaker for your event? Please provide the info below and we’ll get in touch within 24h:
Omar Yaghi biography
Omar Yaghi is the 2025 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry and the inventor of an entirely new branch of science, reticular chemistry, now being deployed against some of the planet’s most urgent challenges: water scarcity, carbon emissions, and the transition to clean energy. In July 2026, after nearly five decades in the United States, Yaghi joined Tsinghua University in Beijing full time to lead AIMATRY, a new university-level institute that applies artificial intelligence to the design and synthesis of new materials. Nobel Prize speaker Omar Yaghi built the foundations of that work at UC Berkeley, where he served as University Professor and founded the Berkeley Global Science Institute.
Yaghi is best known for pioneering metal–organic frameworks, or MOFs, porous crystalline materials built by linking metal ions with organic molecules to form structures riddled with precisely engineered cavities. These “molecular sponges,” as the Nobel Committee described them, can be tuned to capture carbon dioxide from industrial emissions, harvest drinking water directly from desert air, store hydrogen and methane for clean fuel, and safely contain toxic gases. More than 100,000 distinct MOF structures have been synthesized to date. With over 250,000 citations and an h-index near 190, Yaghi ranks among the most cited chemists in history, and to commercialize his discoveries he co-founded Atoco, focused on carbon capture and atmospheric water harvesting, and H2MOF, targeting hydrogen storage for clean energy.
From a Refugee Family to a New Chapter in Beijing
Yaghi’s path to the Nobel is one of the most remarkable in modern science. Born in Amman, Jordan, to a Palestinian refugee family of ten children living in a single room without electricity or running water, he emigrated alone to the United States at fifteen and enrolled in community college in Troy, New York, with limited English. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard before building one of the most influential research careers in the world. His honors include the Wolf Prize in Chemistry, the Albert Einstein World Award of Science, and the Tang Prize in Sustainable Development, and in 2025 he was named president of the World Cultural Council. His decision to lead AIMATRY reflects a conviction that artificial intelligence can shorten the discovery of new materials by orders of magnitude.
As a speaker, Omar Yaghi is in a category of his own: a Nobel laureate whose science addresses several of the world’s existential crises at once, and whose journey from material scarcity to scientific abundance gives every talk extraordinary human resonance. Audiences leave with a clear-eyed understanding of how materials chemistry and artificial intelligence are converging into a linchpin technology for the energy transition and water security, and why the era of designed materials, built atom by atom to specification, is only just beginning.
Omar Yaghi Speaking Videos
Nobel Prize lecture: Omar Yaghi, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025
ACS Spring 2026 – 150th Anniversary Keynote Address by Dr. Omar Yaghi
Omar Yaghi Keynote Topics
For most of history, scientists discovered materials rather than designing them. Omar Yaghi changed that. This keynote traces the birth of reticular chemistry, the science of stitching molecular building blocks into crystalline frameworks with strong, precise bonds, and shows how one foundational idea has produced more than 100,000 new materials for carbon capture, water harvesting, and clean fuel storage. Yaghi also looks ahead to the work of his new AIMATRY institute at Tsinghua University, where artificial intelligence is used to shorten the design and synthesis of new materials by orders of magnitude. Audiences gain a vivid sense of why the ability to design matter at the atomic scale is one of the most consequential capabilities humanity has ever developed.
Nearly two billion people lack reliable access to clean drinking water. Omar Yaghi's laboratory has developed MOFs capable of pulling water directly from desert air, even at humidity levels as low as 7%, using only low-grade heat. Compact harvesters built on this technology can already produce liters of drinking water per day off-grid. This talk explores the science behind atmospheric water harvesting, the path from lab to deployment, and the broader vision of a world where water scarcity becomes a solvable engineering problem rather than an unavoidable tragedy.
The scale of the carbon removal challenge is staggering, and conventional approaches alone are nowhere near sufficient. Yaghi explores how MOFs and COFs are emerging as powerful tools for capturing carbon dioxide directly from industrial flue gases and ambient air, and how his company Atoco is working to bring these solutions to scale. This session gives decision-makers in energy, industry, and finance a grounded, scientifically rigorous view of where materials chemistry fits in the broader portfolio of climate solutions, and why designed materials may be the underappreciated linchpin of the energy transition.
Growing up in a refugee family in Jordan without electricity or running water, Omar Yaghi built the field of reticular chemistry from scratch, and has since worked to make advanced science accessible far beyond elite institutions. This talk weaves together his personal journey, his scientific philosophy, and his conviction that curiosity-driven research, made universally available and now amplified by AI, is the most powerful force for human advancement. Deeply inspiring for leadership, innovation, and purpose-driven audiences, it offers a vision of science not just as discovery, but as a form of justice.
FAQs on Booking Omar Yaghi
Why Omar Yaghi?
Booking Omar Yaghi is a rare opportunity to bring a Nobel laureate whose science is directly solving humanity's most pressing crises: water scarcity, carbon emissions, and the clean energy transition. As the 2025 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry and inventor of reticular chemistry, Yaghi commands the authority of one of the most cited chemists in history alongside the track record of a founder of two commercialization ventures. In 2026 he took the helm of AIMATRY, a new AI-driven materials institute at Tsinghua University, placing him at the frontier of how artificial intelligence is reshaping scientific discovery. His story, from a refugee family in Jordan with no running water to a Nobel Prize and a global research platform, gives every talk a human dimension that resonates far beyond the laboratory. Book Omar Yaghi through Aurum Speakers Bureau to bring this perspective to your stage.
What did Omar Yaghi win the Nobel Prize for?
Omar Yaghi was awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his foundational role in the development of metal-organic frameworks, or MOFs. Beginning in the mid-1990s, Yaghi and his team demonstrated that metal ions and organic molecules could be combined to form stable, highly porous crystalline structures with precisely engineered internal cavities. These materials can be tuned to capture specific molecules, including carbon dioxide, water vapor, hydrogen, and toxic gases, making them powerful tools for climate action, clean energy, and water access. Yaghi shared the prize with Richard Robson of the University of Melbourne and Susumu Kitagawa of Kyoto University.
What are metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and what can they do?
Metal-organic frameworks are a class of porous, crystalline materials built by linking metal ions with organic molecules to form structures riddled with precisely sized internal cavities, essentially molecular scaffolding with programmable pores. First developed by Omar Yaghi in the 1990s, MOFs have the highest surface areas of any known materials: a single gram, if unfolded, would cover sixty tennis courts. This extraordinary porosity makes them exceptionally effective at capturing, storing, and releasing specific gases and vapors. Current and near-future applications include harvesting drinking water from desert air, capturing carbon dioxide from industrial emissions or directly from the atmosphere, storing hydrogen for fuel cell vehicles, and safely containing toxic gases. More than 100,000 distinct MOF structures have now been synthesized worldwide.
What topics does Nobel Prize speaker Omar Yaghi cover at events?
Omar Yaghi speaks on the science and applications of reticular chemistry and metal-organic frameworks, atmospheric water harvesting and water security, carbon capture and the path to net zero, clean energy and the hydrogen economy, and, increasingly, the role of artificial intelligence in accelerating materials discovery, the central focus of his new AIMATRY institute at Tsinghua University. He also speaks powerfully on global scientific collaboration and science education in the developing world. His talks resonate with audiences across sustainability, energy, technology, investment, and policy. To bring Omar Yaghi to your next event, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
How to book Omar Yaghi as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Omar Yaghi as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Omar Yaghi's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Omar Yaghi or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Omar Yaghi speaking fee?
Omar Yaghi speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Omar Yaghi to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Omar Yaghi.
How can I contact Omar Yaghi?
We only work with Omar Yaghi on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Omar Yaghi and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Omar Yaghi speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Omar Yaghi for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Omar Yaghi for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Omar Yaghi is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Omar Yaghi for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
