Reticular Science Prize
Reticular chemistry is a transformative field that enables the precise design and assembly of molecular building blocks into porous frameworks, unlocking new possibilities for materials with unique properties. These advancements are revolutionizing areas like gas storage, catalysis, electronics, and drug delivery.
Reticular chemistry’s ability to engineer matter at the atomic level positions it as a key driver of scientific and technological progress.
The Reticular Science Prize by Atoco Inc. is a prestigious international award recognizing outstanding contributions to the science, engineering, computing, and AI of molecularly defined materials and their applications.
This biennial prize consists of a monetary award of US$5,000 and a gold medal (50 g), every two years honoring a researcher who has made significant advances in modular molecular materials, including (but not limited to) metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent organic frameworks (COFs), and other organic and inorganic solids. The prize will be awarded for the most creative innovation or discovery preferably made within the preceding seven years of the nomination deadline.
Selection Committee
The recipient will be chosen by an independent selection committee comprising distinguished scientists in the field. The decision will be based on the scientific merit and impact of the nominee’s contributions, with particular consideration given to discoveries made in the last seven years.
Members of the Selection Committee
Prof. Laura Gagliardi
Chair of the Selection Committee
Richard and Kathy Leventhal Professor
Department of Chemistry, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering,
James Franck Institute, University of Chicago
Prof. Laura Gagliardi is the Richard and Kathy Leventhal Professor at the University of Chicago. She is known for her work on the development of electronic structure methods and their use for understanding complex chemical systems. Her numerous honors include the Pauling Medal, Peter Debye Award, Humboldt Research Award, and fellowships in the National Academy of Sciences and American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She also serves as an associate editor of the Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation.
Prof. Seth Cohen
Member of the Selection Committee
Distinguished Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Chancellor’s Distinguished Professorship in Chemistry and Biochemistry, Affiliate Faculty, Department of Nanoengineering, University of California, San Diego.
Prof. Seth Cohen is a Distinguished Professor and Chancellor’s Distinguished Chair in Chemistry & Biochemistry at UC San Diego, and a DARPA program manager focused on bio‑inorganic and materials chemistry. Among his honors are the NSF CAREER Award, ACS Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award, Cottrell and TREE Awards from RCSA, and fellowships in ACS, RSC, and AAAS. His research spans metal‑organic frameworks and metalloprotein inhibitors.
Prof. Andrew Goodwin
Member of the Selection Committee
Professor of Materials Chemistry, Associate Head of Department (Research), Oxford University
Prof. Andrew Goodwin is Professor of Materials Chemistry at the University of Oxford, where he leads a creative research group focused on structural disorder and flexibility in functional materials. His work has earned major honors including the RSC’s Harrison-Meldola, Marlow, Corday-Morgan, and Peter Day prizes, as well as the inaugural UK Blavatnik Award in Chemistry. His group pioneers advanced scattering techniques and designs novel disordered materials with applications in energy, sensing, and data storage.
Prof. Lars Öhrström
Member of the Selection Committee
Full Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden.
Prof. Lars Öhrström is Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg and head of the Chemical Engineering programme. His work centers on the synthesis and mechanistic understanding of Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs). He has played key roles in the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and serves on Sweden’s National Committee for Chemistry. Lars is also a prolific author of major books on MOFs and received the Gunnar Starck medal from the Swedish Chemical Society.
Prof. Vivian Wing-Wah YAM
Member of the Selection Committee
Professor of Chemistry, Philip Wong Wilson Wong Professor in Chemistry and Energy, University of Hong Kong.
Prof. Vivian Wing-Wah Yam is the Philip Wong Wilson Wong Professor in Chemistry and Energy at The University of Hong Kong, recognized internationally as a leader in chemistry and energy research. She is a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Sciences, and a Foreign Member of Academia Europaea. Yam’s work spans molecular functional materials and photochemistry. She has been honored with the Royal Society of Chemistry Centenary Medal among many other accolades.
Governance
The mission is to uphold the highest standards of scientific excellence, integrity, and fairness in selecting recipients who have demonstrated exceptional innovation and impact in the field of modular materials.
Nominations are evaluated for originality and impact. The process is inclusive and impartial, ensuring equal opportunity for all candidates, and is conducted with the highest standards of academic ethics, transparency, and confidentiality.
The Reticular Science Prize is overseen, advised and administered by the following governance committee members:
Prof. Omar Yaghi – President of the Reticular Science Prize.
Omar Yaghi is the James and Neeltje Tretter Chair Professor of Chemistry at UC Berkeley and the founding director of the Berkeley Global Science Institute. He pioneered the field of reticular chemistry and is renowned for inventing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent organic frameworks (COFs), zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) and molecular weaving technologies. His pioneering work has earned him numerous prestigious awards, including the Albert Einstein World Award of Science, the Wolf Prize in Chemistry and the Gregory Aminoff Prize. Learn More
Dr. Samer Taha – CEO of Atoco, is the technology commercialization advisor of the Prize. Learn More
Magnus Bach – Atoco’s VP of Marketing, is the secretary of the Prize and is in charge of the administrative affairs of the Prize. Learn More
The nominee must have made an outstanding contribution to the science, engineering, computing, and/or AI of modular molecular systems through original research.
Nominations are open to scientists and engineers at all career stages, from early-career researchers to established leaders in the field.
The prize will be awarded to an individual who is responsible for an innovation or discovery in the field of reticular chemistry.
Nomination Form: A complete nomination form listing the candidate and nominator and their contact information, a description of the nominee’s innovation or discovery, list of the relevant publication(s).
Curriculum Vitae: A CV of the nominee and a list of publications for the seven years preceding the year of nomination.
Supporting Letters: Two letters (each no more than 500 words) from experts in the field, commenting on the significance of the nominee’s work.
Nominations should be submitted by October 1, 2025, 5:00 pm PT. Late or incomplete submissions will not be considered.
Nominations should be submitted electronically in a single PDF file to: reticularscienceprize@atoco.com
Download here: Nomination Form
Download here: Call for Nominations
The next/first Reticular Science Prize will be awarded at the International MOF Conference being held on a biannual basis, with the inaugural Prize given in New Orleans MOF-2026, where the recipient will deliver a lecture on their research.
An award dinner will be hosted by Atoco, Inc. for the awardee, the available members of the Selection Committee, two representatives of Atoco and 3 guests of the awardee’s choice.
