Caryn Davies
Olympic Champion | Founder, Podium Law | Leadership and Team Performance Keynote Speaker
Omar Yaghi
2025 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry | University Professor, UC Berkeley | Inventor of Reticular Chemistry & MOFs | Founder, Atoco & H2MOF
Omar Yaghi won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for inventing an entirely new branch of science — reticular chemistry — and the molecular sponges, called MOFs, that can harvest water from desert air, capture carbon, and store clean fuels. A University Professor at UC Berkeley and founder of two deep-tech startups, Yaghi shows leaders how designed materials are becoming the defining platform for solving the planet's greatest crises.
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Omar Yaghi biography
Omar Yaghi is the 2025 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry and the inventor of an entirely new branch of science — reticular chemistry — that is now being deployed to address some of the most urgent challenges facing the planet: water scarcity, carbon emissions, and the transition to clean energy. As University Professor and James and Neeltje Tretter Endowed Chair in Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, and founding director of the Berkeley Global Science Institute, Yaghi has built a body of work as scientifically profound as it is practically consequential.
Nobel Prize speaker Omar Yaghi is best known for pioneering metal–organic frameworks, or MOFs — porous, crystalline materials constructed 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 selectively capture carbon dioxide from industrial emissions, harvest drinking water directly from desert air, store hydrogen and methane for clean fuel applications, and safely contain toxic gases. Over 100,000 distinct MOF structures have been synthesized to date — an entire universe of new materials unlocked by one foundational idea. Yaghi’s research has generated more than 300 peer-reviewed publications, amassed over 250,000 citations, and earned him an h-index of 190, making him one of the most cited chemists in history.
His work spans three landmark classes of materials: MOFs (metal–organic frameworks), COFs (covalent organic frameworks), and ZIFs (zeolitic imidazolate frameworks) — all of which hold record-breaking internal surface areas and form the backbone of a new materials science industry. To commercialize these breakthroughs, Yaghi co-founded Atoco, focused on carbon capture and atmospheric water harvesting, and H2MOF, targeting hydrogen storage for clean energy applications.
From Refugee Family to Nobel Laureate
Yaghi’s journey to the Nobel Prize 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 age fifteen, enrolling in community college in Troy, New York with limited English. He went on to earn his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1990 and completed an NSF 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, the VinFuture Prize, the 2024 Tang Prize in Sustainable Development, and the 2025 Von Hippel Award of the Materials Research Society. He is elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, and was promoted in 2025 to University Professor — UC Berkeley’s highest academic distinction.
As a speaker, Omar Yaghi is in a category of his own: a Nobel laureate whose science addresses not one but several of the world’s existential crises simultaneously, and whose personal story of transformation from material scarcity to scientific abundance gives every talk extraordinary human resonance. Audiences leave with a clear-eyed understanding of how materials chemistry is becoming 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 designed 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 this foundational idea has spawned over 100,000 new materials with applications in carbon capture, water harvesting, clean fuel storage, and beyond. Audiences gain a vivid sense of why the ability to design matter at the atomic scale is one of the most consequential technological 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 provides decision-makers in energy, industry, and finance with 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 now directs a global network of research centers in developing countries through the Berkeley Global Science Institute. This talk weaves together his personal journey, his scientific philosophy, and his conviction that curiosity-driven research, made universally accessible, 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 for your event 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 scientific authority of one of the most cited chemists in history, combined with the entrepreneurial track record of a founder of two commercialization ventures. His story — from a refugee family in Jordan with no running water to a Nobel Prize at UC Berkeley — gives every talk an emotional and human dimension that resonates far beyond the laboratory. He speaks with rare clarity about the power of curiosity-driven science to reshape the world, and his insights into materials design, AI-accelerated discovery, and global scientific collaboration are essential for audiences in sustainability, technology, energy, healthcare, and investment. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to inquire about Omar Yaghi's availability.
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 — think of them as 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 storage and the hydrogen economy, the role of AI in accelerating materials discovery, and the power of global scientific collaboration and science education in the developing world. His talks are compelling for audiences across sustainability, energy, technology, investment, and policy sectors. 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?
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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.
