Omar M. Yaghi

Dr. Omar M. Yaghi (Arabic: عمر مونّس ياغي) (born 1965, Amman, Jordan) is a Jordanian-American chemist, currently the James and Neeltje Tretter Chair Professor of Chemistry at University of California, Berkeley. He and his research laboratories design and produce classes of compounds now known as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs),[1][2] zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs), and covalent organic frameworks (COFs). Among MOFs, there are substances with extremely high surface areas (5640 m2/g for MOF-177)[3] and with very low crystalline densities (0.17 g·cm−3 for COF-108).[4] He has successfully developed these materials from basic science to applications in clean energy technologies including hydrogen and methane storage, and carbon dioxide capture and storage.

Biography

Yaghi was born Feb. 9, 1965 in Amman, Jordan. At the age of 15, he moved to the United States at the encouragement of his father. 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 an 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 also a Co-Director of the Kavli Energy NanoSciences Institute of the University of California, Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. 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 (1999). 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,[5] and the US Department of Energy Hydrogen Program Award for outstanding contributions to hydrogen storage (2007). He was the sole recipient of the Materials Research Society Medal for pioneering work in the theory, design, synthesis and applications of metal-organic frameworks[6] and received the Newcomb Cleveland Prize of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for the best paper published in Science (2007).[7] He is the recipient of the American Chemical Society Chemistry of Materials Award (2009). He is the second most cited chemist in the world (2000–2010).[8] In 2015 he was awarded the King Faisal International Prize in Chemistry.

References

  1. ↑ K. Sanderson (2007). "Materials Chemistry: Space Invaders". Nature 448 (7155): 746–8. Bibcode:2007Natur.448..746S. doi:10.1038/448746a. PMID 17700673.
  2. ↑ S.F. Robert (2008). "Framework Materials Grab CO2 and Researchers' Attention". Science 319 (5865): 893. doi:10.1126/science.319.5865.893. PMID 18276862.
  3. ↑ A.G. Wong-Foy, A.J. Matzger, O.M. Yaghi (2006). "Exceptional H2 Saturation Uptake in Microporous Metal-Organic Frameworks". Journal of the American Chemical Society 128 (11): 3494–5. doi:10.1021/ja058213h. PMID 16536503.
  4. ↑ H.M. El-Kaderi, J.R. Hunt, J.L. Mendoza-Cortés, A.P. Côté, R.E. Taylor, M. O'Keeffe, O.M. Yaghi (2007). "Designed Synthesis of 3D Covalent Organic Frameworks". Science 316 (5822): 268–72. Bibcode:2007Sci...316..268E. doi:10.1126/science.1139915. PMID 17431178.
  5. ↑ "The Fifth Annual Brilliant 10". Popular Science. September 2006. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
  6. ↑ "MRS Medal: 2007 MRS Medal Award Recipient". Materials Research Society. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
  7. ↑ "AAAS Awards: Newcomb Cleveland Prize Recipients". American Association for the Advancement of Science. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
  8. ↑ Top 100 Chemists, 2000-2010. ScienceWatch.com. Thomson Reuters.

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