Nobel Laureate Professor Omar M. Yaghi, Founder and Chief Science Officer of Atoco, today announced a series of new global research appointments that will help establish the foundation for the Yaghi Science Initiative (YSI).
The appointments are initially in the United States, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Italy, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and China. They represent the first phase toward building an interconnected scientific network dedicated to discovery, education, and innovation for young scholars.
These efforts will build on, continue, and expand Yaghi’s international collaborations which he has built over the years. Together, scientists will create a global platform for research that moves “from molecule to society and back,” connecting fundamental molecular discovery with real-world solutions for clean water, clean air, clean energy, climate resilience, and the long-term sustainability of the planet.
These appointments are especially significant in realizing the vision of science as a language shared by all cultures. It reflects the belief that scientific discovery should cross national, cultural, and institutional boundaries, and that innovations born from fundamental research should benefit people everywhere.
“The Yaghi Science Initiative is built on the conviction that science is an equalizing force in the lives of people everywhere and that discovery is a universal language. By establishing these global institutes, we are creating a global environment where young scholars can work together to solve problems that affect us all”, Yaghi said.
YSI will provide opportunities for students, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career scientists to participate in frontier research and to apply their discoveries to global challenges. The institutes will support research in molecular design, reticular chemistry, materials discovery, artificial intelligence for science, water harvesting, carbon capture, energy storage, and related fields where fundamental science can lead to transformative societal impact.
To that end, Atoco’s R&D labs will collaborate with the global YSI research centers to enrich and advance the company’s long-term R&D roadmap in the fields of carbon capture and water harvesting. By linking centers across continents, the initiative seeks to accelerate both discovery and translation, allowing ideas to move across disciplines with greater speed and purpose.
The new appointments also reflect a broader vision for the future of academic science: one that is global in reach, collaborative in spirit, and rooted in excellence. “Our goal is to make discovery science available to more people, in more places,” Professor Yaghi said. “The great challenges of sustainability – water, energy, air, climate, and the environment – cannot be solved by one country or one institution alone. They require young minds everywhere to be empowered, connected, and inspired.”
Yaghi Science Initiative is a non-profit global research and education initiative founded and led by Nobel Laureate Professor Omar Yaghi; it advocates for and supports research collaboration that crosses boundaries and cultures. The initiative adopts the research philosophy of “from molecule to society and back,” connecting fundamental molecular discovery with real-world solutions.
Founded in 2020 by Nobel Laureate Prof. Omar Yaghi, Atoco is a deep-tech and climate-tech company that is tackling climate change by offering resilient, sustainable, and transformative solutions designed with atomic precision. The company utilizes latest advancements and breakthroughs in molecularly engineered reticular materials to design and develop solutions for atmospheric water harvesting and CO₂ capture. With these innovations, Atoco seeks to address two critical challenges facing our planet: water scarcity and carbon emissions. Atoco’s primary laboratories and manufacturing facility are located in Irvine, California.