Yaghi wins Mustafa Scientific Prize

January 5, 2016

Omar Yahgi. Photo by Lawrence Berkeley Nat'l Lab - Roy Kaltschmidt, photographer

Photo courtesy Lawrence Berkeley Nat'l Lab - Roy Kaltschmidt, photographer.

Chemistry professor Omar Yaghi has won an inaugural Mustafa Scientific Prize, awarded by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states. The award ceremony was held in Tehran, Iran, in December.

Yaghi won in the category of Nano Science and Nanotechnologies. The Prize is also awarded in the categories of Life Science and Medical Sciences, Information and Communication Science and Technologies, and Top Scientific Achievement in other fields. The laureates in each category were awarded a special medal and certificate, and $500,000.

Mustafa Prize medalYaghi was selected for his extensive research in the field of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). MOFs have a wide range of applications in clean energy technologies, carbon dioxide capture and hydrogen and methane storage.

Says Yaghi, “It is a great honor to receive the Mustafa Prize. I thank the members of the policy council for the prize. I was born in Jordan and I began drawing molecular structures when I was 10. This love has been with me since then.”

In his address at the award ceremony, Yaghi stressed the importance of allowing scientists the freedom to experience failure and to find their own path to scientific success.

Video:  Yaghi wins top international prize for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology