Person

Robson, Richard (1937 - )

FAA FRS

Born
4 June 1937
Glusburn, Near Keighley, Yorkshire, England
Occupation
Inorganic chemist and Nobel laureate

Summary

Richard Robson was awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, jointly with Susumu Kitagawa and Omar M. Yaghi, for his foundational work on the development of metal-organic frameworks. He joined the University of Melbourne School of Chemistry in 1966 and remained there until his retirement and appointment as Emeritus Professor. His research is in the area of design, synthesis and characterisation of coordination nets. Early efforts with a vacant site between two metal atoms have given way to larger metal-organic networks (frameworks) in one, two and three dimensions. This work laid the foundations for the tailor-made materials of the future.

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Chronology

1959
Education - BA, Brasenose College (chemistry), University of Oxford
1962
Education - DPhil, Brasenose College (chemistry), University of Oxford
1962 - 1964
Career position - Postdoctoral research, California Institute of Technology, USA
1964 - 1965
Career position - Postdoctoral research, Stanford University, California, USA
1966
Life event - Travelled to Australia by cargo ship to take up an academic position in the Department of Inorganic Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Melbourne
1966 - 1970
Career position - Lecturer in chemistry, University of Melborune
1970 - 1992
Career position - Senior Lecturer, University of Melbourne
1992 - 30 June 2001
Career position - Reader/Associate Professor, University of Melbourne
1998
Award - Burrows Award, Inorganic Division, Royal Australian Chemical Institute
2000 -
Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Science (FAA)
1 July 2001 - July 2004
Career position - Professor of Chemistry, University of Melbourne (retired)
2019
Event - Special Issue, Australian Journal of Chemistry, Volume 72 Number 10 2019, Dedication of Professor Richard Robson
2022 -
Award - Fellow, The Royal Society, London (FRS)
2025
Award - Nobel Prize in Chemistry (jointly with Susumu Kitagawa and Omar M. Yaghi ) - for the development of metal-organic frameworks

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Gavan McCarthy

Created: 25 May 2001, Last modified: 22 October 2025

EOAS ID: biogs/P003792b.htm

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