Kouroush Vahdati is professor of horticultural sciences and an associate member of the Academy of Science of Iran. He has a Ph.D. from the University of Tehran in collaboration with the University of California, Davis and he is among the Top 2% of Scientists Worldwide 2023 released by Stanford University. Presently, he is the Director of International Relations of the Academy of Sciences of Iran, Liaison Officer of Walnut and Pecan/ FAO-CIHEAM Inter-Regional Cooperative Research Network on Nuts, Chief Editor of the International Journal of Horticultural Science and Technology, and president of the Iranian Society for Horticultural Sciences. He has written several books and over 150 papers in scientific journals, and served as Chair of the walnut working group of the International Society for Horticultural Science. In this position, he edited a book named “Following Walnut Footprints” in collaboration with 130 colleagues from 59 countries. He was the invited speaker and a member of the scientific committee of several international symposia. He has been selected as the top university lecturer, researcher and active international academic member in different years and has been awarded the Khawrizmi International Award for his applied research. His research area is the breeding and biotechnology of nut trees. He is also an expert in micropropagation of horticultural plants and the establishment and management of walnut orchards giving consultation to the companies.