Emmanuel’s background and interests are in the post-translational regulation of photosynthetic proteins. He conducted his Ph.D. research under the supervision of Prof Richard Leegood at the University of Sheffield working on understanding the regulation of C4 photosynthesis in crops such as maize in a EU collaborative project (3to4). His current research at Lancaster University and the RIPE Project involves finding genetic variation in crop plant Rubiscos. He is specifically working with cowpea, which feeds the population in Sub-Saharan Africa and improvement of this vital crop is necessary to meeting demands. His ambitions are largely driven by the demand for better sustainable agricultural practices, as well as the interest of terraforming other planets; firmly believing that one day plants will be grown in space.

Emmanuel is the Chairperson and Co-Founder of a not-for-profit research organisation called Seanasol (currently known as Seanasol Research), which is collaborating with space exapansion scientists to build the infrastructure necessary for low-gravity farming and working closely with their community, locally and abroad, to bring application-focused plant science into schools and universities.