Manuel is a social scientist who has conducted cutting-edge research, unraveling the complexities of nature-institution interactions and translating insights into viable policies for a sustainable and resilient future. Manuel is starting his PhD at the University of Kassel and has a Master's in Agricultural Economics at the University of Hohenheim. His doctoral thesis deals with institutional arrangements for water governance and its interrelationship with food systems in the Kilimanjaro region. Previously, for his master's thesis, Manuel researched governance arrangements for carbon projects on agricultural soils in western Kenya. Likewise, before coming to Germany, Manuel was a researcher at the International Bioversity Alliance and CIAT where he analyzed policies and institutions for livestock activities in Latin American countries."