Assaf was born and raised in Hadera. From an early age he showed attraction to science studies and experiments held at the local "Techno-da" chapter. After graduation and army service, Assaf completed a double B.Sc. degree in both Physics and Electrical- Engineering at the Technion, where he found the field of quantum light-matter interaction a source of fascination.

He continued to Master's degree in the Sde-Boker Institute for Desert Research under the supervision of Prof. Eugene Katz, studying the physics of concentrated sunlight effect on photovoltaic (PV) cells. This period yielded several publications for which Assaf was given the institute's Directors Award for Outstanding Achievements.

After graduation, Assaf returned to the Technion to work under the supervision of Dr. Carmel Rotschild, an Adam's Fellow himself, under the RBNI program (the Russel Berrie Nano-Institute), in the field of light management for PV, researching thermal radiation management of fluorescent materials for solar-energy photovoltaic conversion.  Assaf focuses on thermodynamic design and analysis of solar energy conversion systems, where the possibility of light management before the actual conversion stage could yield a dramatic increase in PV efficiency.

In addition to research, Assaf is involved in the "Future's Scientists" initiative, teaching ten-graders the fundamental physics of solar energy conversion, through active experimental work.