Speaker Details

Biography:

Dr. Yaghi is a Jordanian-American chemist, currently the James and Neeltje Tretter Chair Professor of Chemistry at University of California, Berkeley. Because of his enormous passion in chemistry he and his research laboratories design and produce classes of compounds now known as metal-organic frameworks(MOFs), zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs), and covalent organic frameworks (COFs). 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.

Yaghi has graduated from University at Albany, and then 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 a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University (1990–1992). 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).

Dr. Yaghi’s 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. in 1998 and the Sacconi Medal of the Italian Chemical Society in 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.

Status: Confirmed