Okem Andrew Emmanuel is a mixed-methods research expert and a rated researcher by the South African National Research Foundation. He has over four years of experience in the international climate space as a Science Officer with the Working Group II Technical Support Unite of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), where he supported and contributed to three IPCC reports. He has consulted for and researched projects funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the European Union. Okem has over seven years of postgraduate and undergraduate lecturing and supervision experience. He has contributed to the learned community in various capacities, including serving as a member of the Technical Team of the 2023 South African Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators Report, as Chair of the Conference on Cooperatives and the Solidarity Economy and as an Associate Editor of Climate Action. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Policy and Development Studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Okem is a Regional Researcher – Climate Adaptation and Governance at the International Water Management Institute.