Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are an emerging class of solid-state materials built up from metal-based nodes and organic linkers. They exhibit permanent porosity and unprecedented surface areas which can be readily tuned through coordination chemistry at the inorganic node and/or organic chemistry at the linkers. The high porosities, tunability, and stability are highly attractive in the context of catalysis. As exemplified by many catalytic enzyme assemblies in nature, site-isolation is a powerful strategy for performing catalytic reactions. MOFs provide an exciting platform for deploying catalysts in a site-isolated fashion and the cavities surrounding them can be engineered to conceptually mimic enzymes. This talk will adress new advances in the synthesis and catalytic activity of MOF materials developed at Northwestern University.