Nobel Laureate Yaghi Credits US Public Education for His Success
Omar M. Yaghi, the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate born to Palestinian refugee parents in Jordan, emphasized the crucial role of publicly funded American education adn research in his career during a recent address. His comments came amidst discussions surrounding potential disruptions to university funding in the United States.
Yaghi stated, “This award is proof of the strength of the public education system in the united States that welcomes individuals like me, from a disadvantaged background, a refugee family, and allows them to work hard and excel.”
Growing up in Amman, Jordan, yaghi experienced a childhood marked by hardship. His family lacked basic amenities like electricity and running water. His father completed only sixth grade, and his mother was illiterate. Despite these challenges, Yaghi’s parents dedicated themselves to their children’s education, viewing it as a pathway to a better life for the entire family.
born in 1965, Yaghi immigrated to the United States at age 15, encouraged by his father who saw it as an possibility for advancement. Even as a young student, he was captivated by the visual complexity of molecular structures, recalling being drawn to “incomprehensible but engaging” images in textbooks. “I fell in love wiht them before I knew they were molecules,” he shared.
To finance his studies at the state University of New York in Albany, Yaghi worked various jobs, including cleaning floors and distributing shopping inserts.He earned his doctorate from the University of Illinois in 1990 and afterward held positions at multiple universities before joining the University of California,Berkeley in 2012.
Yaghi underscored the necessity of public investment in scientific research, stating, “Science costs money; it’s an investment in the future.” He lauded the American system of higher education and research as ”amazing,” describing science as “a jewel in the crown of our country” that must be protected.
He also highlighted the worldwide potential for talent, arguing that opportunities are key to unlocking it. “Science is a huge force allowing equality,” Yaghi asserted.
Yaghi was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Susumu Kitagawa and Richard Robson for their pioneering research on metal-organic frameworks, a field with applications including the capture of carbon dioxide and water from the atmosphere, even in arid environments.