​Professor Matthew McCabe is the dean of the Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). ​Professor McCabe received his Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Newcastle in Australia and held research positions at Princeton University and the Los Alamos National Laboratory. 

Before joining KAUST in 2012, McCabe was an associate professor at the University of New South Wales. A global leader in the field of Earth observation, his research explores interconnected and multidisciplinary problems across the water-food nexus, climate change, urban and natural ecosystems, and the environment. He has a particular interest in the use of novel technologies for monitoring Earth and environmental processes, focusing on data-driven solutions and insights for major global challenges.​ McCabe has authored more than 250 scientific publications and is recognized by Clarivate as a Highly Cited Researcher, ranking in the top 1% of researchers worldwide. He has contributed to major international climate initiatives, including the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP), the Group of Twenty (G20), the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), and the Global Energy and Water Exchanges project (GEWEX). 

He is also regularly invited to speak at national and international science, technology, and policy forums. He was the inaugural specialty chief editor for Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence, coordinating editor and lead author of the 2023 Climate Futures Report for Saudi Arabia, and recipient of the 2022 Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water. In addition to his academic achievements, he is a cofounder of SarsatX, a space hardware and analytics company translating research into real-world applications.