Youssef El Rayess is an associate professor in the Department of Agriculture and Food Engineering at the School of Engineering. Having joined USEK in 2013 as an assistant professor, he currently serves as the Assistant Dean for Research, Head of the Review and Dissemination Center, and Coordinator of the Food Engineering Program. He has also been a regular invited professor at the National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse since 2014.

His research interests include wine science, microbial interactions, food processing, food waste valorization and bioactive molecules. A significant part of his work has focused on improving the understanding and optimization of winemaking processes and their impact on final product quality. Youssef has expanded his research to explore microbial interactions for ameliorating food quality, controlling foodborne pathogens, and addressing animal diseases. Additionally, he has made numerous contributions to the extraction, chemical and biological evaluation of bioactive compounds derived from native plants, foods and food waste. His research also explores the application of non-thermal technologies and processes for biomolecules extraction and the mitigation of foodborne pathogens.

Youssef is the editor of “Wine: Phenolic Compounds, Classification and Health Benefits” (Nova Publishers, 2014) and of “Microfiltration: Principle, Process and Applications (Nova Publishers, 2019)”. He is also the author of over 40 papers on wine, microbial interactions, food processing and bioactive molecules.

Since 2015, Youssef has served as a consultant for food and wine industries in Lebanon, as well as an expert in several American and European-funded projects. He is currently coordinating an Italian-funded project for wine industries in Lebanon. He is a regular scientific reviewer for many scientific peer-reviewed journals, including LWT, Natural Products Communications, Foods, Separation and Purification Technology.

EDUCATION

• "Habilité à Diriger la Recherche" (HDR) Diploma, National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse – France
• PhD in Process and Environmental Engineering, National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse – France MS in Food Quality and Safety, National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse – France
• National Diploma of Enology, National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse – France
• Diploma of Agriculture Engineering, Lebanese University – Lebanon