About

Ryan Emanuel is a Professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources at North Carolina State University (NC State), where he has been recognized as an Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor and a University Faculty Scholar.  Ryan’s research interests include hydrology, environmental sciences, and Indigenous studies.  He is a citizen of the Lumbee Tribe, the largest Native American tribe in the eastern United States.  He was a 2020-2021 Fellow at the National Humanities Center.

Ryan was raised in Charlotte, NC, two hours’ drive from the center of Lumbee community and culture in present-day Robeson County, NC.  His parents attended segregated schools for Native Americans, making Ryan the first in his family to attend integrated schools. He graduated from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Schools during a time when the school system served as a national model for integration, and he was among the first public school students in North Carolina to receive the International Baccalaureate diploma. Ryan participated in a federally-funded Indian Education program, which was designed to support Native American students who attend public schools in the US.

A youth leader in Boy Scouts, Ryan worked at Mecklenburg County Council’s summer camp in McDowell County, NC and advanced to the rank of Eagle Scout (Bronze Palm). Throughout his youth, he spent substantial time with his family in Pembroke and Saddletree, two prominent Lumbee communities in Robeson County.  He also spent time with family in Baltimore, where many Lumbees migrated after WWII.

Ryan attended Duke University and earned a BS in Geology.  During the academic year, he worked as a check-cashing clerk on campus and as a salesperson at the local mall. Ryan also worked for the US Geological Survey during college.  After Duke, Ryan spent two years working in raw materials sourcing, logistics, and IT for a manufacturing company in Virginia.

Ryan attended graduate school at the University of Virginia, where he earned an MS and PhD in Environmental Sciences.  In 2007, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Center for Global Change at Duke University.  From 2007 until 2010, Ryan was an Assistant Professor and Faculty Fellow in the Department of Geology at Appalachian State University (now Geological and Environmental Sciences) where he co-founded the Appalachian Atmospheric Interdisciplinary Research (AppalAIR) program and helped create a concentration in Quantitative Geosciences.  Ryan also served as faculty advisor for the Native American Council and Intervarsity Christian Fellowship.

In 2010, Ryan moved to NC State, where he currently leads the Ecohydrology and Watershed Science Lab, which conducts scientific research related to water, ecosystems, and climate change. Group members study water and biogeochemical cycles in mountain landscapes, exposure of freshwater ecosystems to salt in coastal regions, and impacts of climate change on Indigenous territories and communities. Lab alumni are professors, academic researchers, and technical specialists in government and private industry. Ryan currently advises the NC State chapter of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES). He works with the national AISES organization on an NSF-funded program designed to broaden participation of Native Americans in STEM-related academic careers.  He sits on the advisory board for the Indian Education program in Wake County Public Schools (2011 – present) and previously represented higher education on North Carolina’s statewide advisory council on Indian Education (2014 – 2016).

Professional Record (Full Academic CV)

Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

• Professor, 2020 – Present
• Associate Professor, 2015 – 2020
• Assistant Professor, 2010 – 2015

Other Affiliations, North Carolina State University

• University Faculty Scholar, 2016 – Present
• Faculty Fellow, Center for Geospatial Analytics, 2016 – Present
• Faculty Affiliate, Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, 2014 – Present

Department of Geology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC

• Assistant Professor and Faculty Fellow, 2007 – 2010

Center on Global Change, Duke University, Durham, NC

• Postdoctoral Researcher, 2007

Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

• Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant, 2001 – 2007

United States Geological Survey, Charlotte, NC and Raleigh, NC

• Hydrologic Aide, 1995 – 1998

Professional Honors and Awards

William C. Friday Fellowship

• Wildacres Leadership Institute, 2020-2022

Benjamin N. Duke Fellowship of the Research Triangle Foundation, Donnelley Family Fellowship

• National Humanities Center, 2020-2021

Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professorship

• North Carolina State University, 2020

Steve Wing International Environmental Justice Award

• North Carolina Environmental Justice Network, 2019

NC State Nominee for the Governor James E. Holshouser, Jr. Award for Excellence in Public Service

• North Carolina State University, 2019

Distinguished Service to Indian Education

• United Tribes of North Carolina, 2019

University Sustainability Award (The “Green Brick”)

• North Carolina State University, 2018

Science Advocacy Award

• University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, 2016

Community Service Award

• American Indian Science and Engineering Society, 2015