From a refugee family to Nobel Laureate: Omar Yaghi’s story

The TakeNobel laureate Omar Yaghi on how humble beginnings fueled breakthrough science against the climate crisis.Nobel Laureate Dr. Omar Yaghi joins The Take after winning the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), materials that can capture carbon and store hydrogen. Born to a Palestinian refugee family in Amman, Yaghi tells the story of how hardship shaped his imagination, from getting fresh water only once a week to inventing systems that pull water from desert air.In this episode: Dr. Omar Yaghi, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Professor at University of California, Berkeley and Atoco Founder Episode credits:This episode was produced by Chloe K. Li and Melanie Marich with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Tamara Khandaker, Kylene Kiang, Sarí el-Khalili and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Noor Wazwaz and Sarí el-Khalili. The Take production team is Marcos Bartolomé, Sonia Bhagat, Spencer Cline, Sarí el-Khalili, Tamara Khandaker, Kylene Kiang, Phillip Lanos, Chloe K. Li, Melanie Marich, and Noor Wazwaz. Our host is Malika Bilal. Our engagement producers are Adam Abou-Gad and Vienna Maglio. Andrew Greiner is lead of audience engagement.Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. Connect with us:@AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTubePublished On 19 Jan 2026