<p>Environmental risk has emerged as a primary concern globally, with air pollution being the most significant contributor to this risk. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Paris Agreement, Net Zero emission targets, and growing concern about climate change and air pollution are pushing for rigorous emission norms. The vehicular emission regulations are primarily directed towards tail-pipe emissions that emerge from the exhaust system of a vehicle as these are the major source of vehicular emissions. Aftertreatment systems, are used for controlling tail-pipe emissions; these are sets of technologies that are highly science-driven and require the integration of complex technological components. The adherence to the stricter emission regulations has thus emerged as one of the critical requirements for vehicles, calling for aftertreatment systems that can successfully comply with the new regulation provisions. Drawing from the demand-pull theory of innovation, the study attempts to uncovers to what extent regulations has influenced the emergence and development of key research themes over time. To uncover the extent of this influence, a sophisticated bibliometric science mapping approach is applied to capture the temporal and longitudinal evolution of research in aftertreatment, covering the period from 1991 to 2023. The periods broadly delineated with the effective regulations introduced and implemented during a particular temporal period. The findings show correspondence between regulations and scientific research over the delineated periods, supporting the proposition to some extent i.e. regulation acting as catalyst/shaping scientific research in this area.</p>