The 2025 Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded to Richard Robson, Susumu Kitagawa and Omar Yaghi on Oct. 8, 2025, for the development of metal-organic frameworks, or MOFs, which are tunable crystal structures with extremely high porosity. These are a class of materials that have truly changed the way scientists design and think about matter, inspiring progress in various applications.
I’m a MOF scientist and for many of us in the field, this recognition feels both historic and deeply personal. MOFs are not just elegant crystals you’d admire under a microscope; they’re an entire universe of structures, each like a miniature city of tunnels and rooms waiting to be filled. They’ve been my scientific home since I first stepped into research, and they still feel a little bit like magic to me.
