Overview
Ryan Emanuel is a hydrologist and community-engaged scholar from North Carolina. He studies ecohydrology, biogeosciences, environmental justice, and Indigenous rights. Emanuel leads a group of researchers and scholars who study water and watery places - including Indigenous peoples’ cultural attachments to these places. His group partners with Native American Tribes and other communities to understand environmental change through the lenses of environmental justice and Indigenous rights. Their work involves a complementary mix of research, education, and relationship-building. Through all of this work, Emanuel and his group aim to amplify voices of Indigenous and other marginalized communities who shoulder disproportionate environmental burdens and who have been largely excluded from decision-making about the future of their home lands and waters. Emanuel is a long-time member of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society and the American Geophysical Union. He has served on national scientific boards as well as state and local boards focused on American Indian education.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Associate Professor of Hydrology
·
2025 - Present
Environmental Social Systems,
Nicholas School of the Environment
In the News
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Recent Publications
Water quality and hydrologic connectivity in rural communities around the Manombo Special Reserve of southeastern Madagascar during the dry season
Journal Article Environmental Challenges · December 2025 Full text CiteOver, Under, and Through: Hydrologic Connectivity and the Future of Coastal Landscape Salinization
Journal Article Water Resources Research · July 1, 2025 Seawater intrusion (SWI) affects coastal landscapes worldwide. Here we describe the hydrologic pathways through which SWI occurs - over land via storm surge or tidal flooding, under land via groundwater transport, and through watersheds via natural and art ... Full text CiteSurface waters in socially vulnerable areas are disproportionately under-monitored for nutrients in the US South Atlantic-Gulf region
Journal Article Nature Water · July 1, 2025 This study investigates whether active water quality monitoring stations are proportionately distributed across communities of varying social vulnerability. We specifically focus on nutrient monitoring of surface waters in the South Atlantic-Gulf region, a ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
THELORACS: Tree Health Evaluated using LiDAR, Optical, and Radar Applications across Coastal Systems
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of Virginia - Charlottesville · 2022 - 2026Collaborative Research: ER2 Incubation Project: A Pilot Study of Indigenous Perspectives on Ethical and Responsible Research
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2024 - 2026Tribal Coastal Resilience Connections Phase II
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by NC Department of Environmental Quality · 2024 - 2025View All Grants
Education, Training & Certifications
University of Virginia ·
2007
Ph.D.