**University of Melbourne Professor Among Trio Awarded 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for Groundbreaking Molecular Architecture**

A University of Melbourne professor is one of three international scientists honored with the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their pioneering development of a new form of molecular architecture. Their work has led to materials that hold promise in addressing pressing global issues such as climate change and the scarcity of fresh water.

The Nobel Prize committee announced that this year’s laureates are Richard Robson from Australia, Professor Susumu Kitagawa of Kyoto University, Japan, and Professor Omar Yaghi from the University of California, Berkeley, USA.

### The Discovery: Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs)

The three scientists independently developed novel molecular constructions characterized by large, porous spaces enabling gases and chemicals to flow through them. These materials can be used for a variety of critical applications, including harvesting water from desert air, capturing carbon dioxide, and storing toxic gases safely.

The committee highlighted the extraordinary surface area of these materials. For example, a porous structure about the size of a small sugar cube can have a surface area as vast as a large football pitch. “A small amount of such material can be almost like Hermione’s handbag in Harry Potter. It can store huge amounts of gas in a tiny volume,” explained Olof Ramstrom, a member of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry.

### Building on Breakthroughs Since 1989

The journey started with Richard Robson in 1989, whose initial work laid the foundation for what would become an expansive field of research. Since then, chemists worldwide have created tens of thousands of different metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). These materials hold the potential to address some of humanity’s greatest challenges.

Beyond capturing carbon dioxide and harvesting water, MOFs can also help remove toxic PFAS (“forever chemicals”) from water sources and aid in breaking down pharmaceutical residues in the environment.

### Laureates’ Reactions

The 88-year-old Richard Robson, originally from Britain but now based in Australia, expressed both pleasure and surprise in a phone call with The Associated Press. “I am very pleased, of course, and a bit stunned as well. This is a major thing that happens late in life when I’m not really in a condition to withstand it all. But here we are,” he said.

Professor Susumu Kitagawa, aged 74, spoke with the Nobel Committee and media by phone after the announcement. “I’m deeply honoured and delighted that my long-standing research has been recognised,” he said.

Professor Omar Yaghi, 60, whose parents were Palestinian refugees in Amman and who moved to the United States as a teenager, led a team that created crystal-like structures from metal atoms. Yaghi’s group demonstrated these materials to be robust, durable, yet highly porous—an achievement that ignited global interest in the field. “That basically was the spark that ignited the field,” said Yaghi in a statement from the University of California, Berkeley.

### About the Nobel Prize

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry, awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, dates back more than a century. This prestigious prize is awarded annually to scientists whose work has had a profound impact on the field. The 2025 chemistry prize is the third award announced this year, following the Nobel Prizes in Medicine and Physics.

The laureates will share a monetary award of 11 million Swedish kronor (approximately 1.8 million USD), along with the global recognition that comes with winning arguably the world’s most prestigious science award.

The Nobel Prizes were established in the will of Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, a chemist himself, whose scientific contributions helped fund the awards through the wealth he amassed from inventing dynamite. Since 1901, the prizes have been awarded for achievements in science, literature, and peace, with a few interruptions due to world wars. The Nobel Prize in Economics, established later, is funded by the Swedish central bank.

### Upcoming Nobel Announcements

The 2025 Nobel Prize announcements continue this week with the Literature Prize scheduled for Thursday, followed by the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, and concluding with the Economics Prize next Monday.

Stay tuned for the latest updates on this year’s Nobel laureates.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/australian-professor-richard-robson-among-nobel-prize-chemistry-winners/glv6lyvry