Osman M. Bakr is a professor in the Material Science and Applied Physics program at KAUST, where he has been a faculty member since 2010. Bakr is internationally recognized for significant contributions to hybrid organic–inorganic materials, particularly perovskites and quantum dots and their applications in solar cells and optoelectronics. At KAUST, he leads the Functional Nanomaterials Lab, which investigates the physics and chemistry of advanced hybrid materials.

Bakr earned his B.Sc. in materials science and engineering from MIT, U.S., and his Ph.D. in applied physics from Harvard University, U.S. He has received numerous honors throughout his career, including the Kuwait Prize and the Kroll Medal & Prize from the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. He is ranked among the world’s most influential researchers and is listed by Clarivate as a Highly Cited Researcher in both chemistry and materials science. Times Higher Education has also named him one of the ten leading university researchers globally in perovskite solar cells.

He remains active in the scientific community, serving as executive editor of ACS Materials Letters of the American Chemical Society, among other professional roles.