2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry buoyed by leading UCalgary research

A University of Calgary research group got a shout out recently when the winners of the prestigious Nobel Prize in Chemistry were announced. 

On Oct. 8, Drs. Susumu Kitagawa of Kyoto University; Omar Yaghi of the University of California, Berkeley; and Richard Robson of the University of Melbourne, all PhD, were announced as recipients of the international award. 

The trio received the Nobel for the development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which are materials that can act like tiny sponges. These materials can be customized to selectively attract different molecules, allowing for versatility in drug delivery and energy storage, all the way to environmental remediation. 

Dr. George Shimizu, PhD, a professor in the Department of Chemistry, says he knew the time was coming for MOFs to receive the prestigious award. 

“One of our compounds, called Calgary Framework 20 or CALF-20, was actually highlighted as an example of carbon capture,” he says. “It was really exciting to see that.” 

As the lead investigator of the Shimizu MOF group, he, along with other scientists, proved these substances could be stable and scaled for industry use.