Omar Yaghi Becomes First Saudi Nobel Laureate In Chemistry As KACST Celebrates 2025 Award
King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology celebrated Professor Omar Yaghi as winner of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and highlighted that Professor Yaghi is the first Saudi scientist to receive the Nobel Prize, marking a significant moment for Saudi research and for the Kingdom’s stated ambitions in advanced science and technology.
The award recognises Professor Yaghi’s role in founding reticular chemistry and strengthening research in energy, environment, and advanced materials, while the celebration also confirmed his position as Supervisor of the Joint Center of Excellence for Nanomaterials for Clean Energy Applications linking KACST and the University of California, Berkeley.
The event took place in the presence of KACST President Dr. Munir bin Mahmoud Eldesouki and reflected Saudi Vision 2030 objectives, as KACST used the occasion to underline how scientific research and innovation are treated as essential elements for building a knowledge-based economy and for supporting sustainable growth within the Kingdom.
During the ceremony, Professor Omar Yaghi expressed appreciation for the backing provided by Saudi leadership, explaining that consistent support has helped strengthen the research, development, and innovation ecosystem, and stating that this approach has enabled Saudi-based scientists and research teams to compete internationally and contribute to global scientific progress.
Professor Yaghi stressed that investment in national talent has helped create an integrated research environment that places the Kingdom among leading scientific nations, and noted that collaboration with KACST offers an effective long-term model for partnerships focused on human capital and on turning discoveries in advanced materials into applications that influence everyday life and industrial practice.
He pointed out that progress in advanced materials shows how science is moving from laboratory discoveries to solutions with direct impact, considering this shift one of the most important changes shaping the direction of global scientific research, while KACST framed the partnership with the University of California, Berkeley as central to its clean energy materials agenda.
Nobel Prize in Chemistry, KACST innovation, and Artificial Intelligence Hackathon
The programme also featured recognition of winning teams from the Artificial Intelligence for Materials Discovery Hackathon, organised by KACST with the University of California, Berkeley and Academy 32, where participants used artificial intelligence tools to design, predict, and improve advanced materials for energy and environmental uses.
The results of the Artificial Intelligence for Materials Discovery Hackathon were presented as follows:
| Position | Team | Project focus |
|---|---|---|
| First place | NajdGenesis-AI | "Saudi generative AI platform to create bio-hybrid CO₂-capture materials optimized for real industrial conditions." |
| Second place | Fabricator.ai | Designing, re-engineering, synthesising, and fabricating MOFs/COFs-based materials. |
| Third place | Prime-MOF | Predicting MOF stability using large language models to support sustainable material discovery. |
The celebration concluded with an interactive dialogue session between Professor Yaghi and gifted students and researchers, where Professor Yaghi revisited important stages in a scientific career, shared experiences that guided academic and professional choices, and advised young researchers to build strong scientific foundations early while continuously improving research skills to contribute to future innovation.
With inputs from SPA
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