Neel U. Sukhatme

Neel U. Sukhatme serves as the 19th dean of the University of Michigan Law School and Professor of Law, appointed by the University of Michigan Board of Regents for a five-year term beginning July 1, 2025. Previously, he held positions as Associate Dean for Research and Academic Programs and Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center.

His educational credentials include:

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering (highest honors) with Mathematics minor from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• MA and PhD in Economics from Princeton University, recipient of the 2014 Towbes Prize for Outstanding Teaching
• JD, cum laude, from Harvard Law School where he served as Notes Editor of the Harvard Law Review

Sukhatme's research concentrates on empirical analysis of criminal law, AI's legal implications, and innovation/patent systems. His teaching portfolio includes Property, Patent Law, Advanced Corporate Finance: Quantitative Analysis and Valuation, and Empirical Analysis for Lawyers and Policymakers, reflecting his interdisciplinary expertise bridging law, economics, and technology.

His distinguished honors include:

• Andrew Carnegie Fellowship (2021)
• Thomas Alva Edison Visiting Scholar at the US Patent and Trademark Office
• Towbes Prize for Outstanding Teaching (2014)

As an entrepreneur, he co-founded Spindrop (an AI music technology startup automating song mixing) and Free Our Vote (a non-partisan non-profit restoring voting rights for returning citizens across nine states, reaching hundreds of thousands of individuals prior to the 2020 and 2024 elections).