Yassine Elmaati is a Date Production Expert within the Plant Breeding and Genetics Lab at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), contributing to the university’s research on improving the yield and quality of date palm crops. He earned his Ph.D. in Biology, Plant Protection and Biotechnology Option from Ibn Zohr University, Agadir, Morocco.

His research focuses on Date Palm Productivity and Management; Plant Protection, specializing in date palm health and the control of the red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus), a major pest threatening date palm sustainability; Sustainable Agriculture in Arid Environments; Plant-Microbe Interactions.