Ryan Emanuel

Ryan Emanuel is a hydrologist and community-engaged scholar from North Carolina. He is currently an associate professor of hydrology at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment. Before arriving at Duke in 2022, Emanuel worked for nearly 15 years as a faculty member in the University of North Carolina System, first at Appalachian State University and later at North Carolina State University. At Duke, Emanuel’s research group studies the impacts of climate change, pollution, and unsustainable development on water and watery places. His group also partners with Native American Tribes and other communities to understand environmental change through the lenses of environmental justice and Indigenous rights. Emanuel’s work ultimately aims to amplify voices of Indigenous peoples and other marginalized groups in areas of environmental science and policy. Emanuel belongs to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.