Leadership, Discovery and Global Impact: A Community Conversation

University at Albany President Havidán Rodríguez invites you to a special community conversation with Dr. Omar M. Yaghi '85, recipient of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

The conversation will feature Dr. Yaghi, President Rodríguez and Dr. Michael Brophy, president of Hudson Valley Community College. The event will conclude with an audience Q&A session.

About Dr. Yaghi

Born in Amman, Jordan, Yaghi immigrated to the United States at age 15, eventually settling in Troy, New York, to continue his education. He completed his Associate in Science degree at Hudson Valley Community College in 1983, then went on to earn his bachelor's degree in chemistry from UAlbany in 1985, graduating cum laude.
 

Dr. Yaghi holds the James and Neeltje Tretter Chair in Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, where he also serves as founding director of the Berkeley Global Science Institute. His groundbreaking research reshaped materials chemistry through the development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). These intricate porous structures can trap and store gases, pull water from the air, and open new pathways toward cleaner energy and a healthier environment.