Has a BA in Armenian Studies and Communications (2000) and an MA (2002)  in Comparative Religion from the Hebrew University (2002), specializing in Armenian amulet scrolls from the late Middle Ages. Yoav was a member of the team that discovered a medieval Jewish cemetery in Eghegis, Armenia, together with Professor Michael Stone and the late archaeologist David Amit.

After his studies, Yoav began working in human rights organizations and in the field of applied social research, while keeping up his active interest in Armenian culture and literature in less official ways, as well as publishing articles about Armenian topics. Yoav returned to the Hebrew University in 2012, where he now teaches Classical Armenian language and courses in Armenian history and culture.