Manuel is the Forest Landscapes Coordinator for WRI Mexico. He is responsible for coordinating research projects on policies for the conservation and restoration of forest ecosystems, as well as productive projects in rural communities from an economic and social perspective.

He has collaborated in the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as a consultant in a cooperation project with the Ministry of Agrarian, Territorial and Urban Development (SEDATU) for the elaboration of a diagnosis of the ejidal (communal land) organization in Mexico; and with Fundar, Center for Analysis and Research, for the development of a transparency and accountability strategy for public agricultural spending in Mexico. In 2018 he completed a six-month internship at the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean in Santiago, Chile, supporting a program for rural poverty reduction.

Manuel has a master's degree in Economics from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and a specialization in Economic Theory from the same university.