Neel U. Sukhatme, a distinguished legal scholar with expertise across multiple disciplines, has been appointed as the David A. Breach Dean of Law and professor of law, with tenure, at the Law School.
The appointment, approved March 20 by the Board of Regents, is effective July 1, 2025, and runs for a five-year renewable term through June 30, 2030.
“Professor Sukhatme’s career has been defined by relentless innovation and a consistent dedication to the public good. I am so pleased to welcome him to Michigan,” said Laurie K. McCauley, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “His broad experience and dynamic leadership promises to bring an exciting new chapter for the Law School, where he aims to further elevate the institution’s reputation in legal education and research.”
“Michigan Law has a storied tradition of excellence. I am delighted and honored to help lead this incredible community,” Sukhatme said. “I look forward to building on the Law School’s many strengths and helping it shape the future of legal education, practice and interdisciplinary collaboration in a time of rapid technological change.”
Sukhatme joins U-M from Georgetown University Law Center, where he has served as associate dean for research and academic programs since 2023, when he was also appointed an Anne Fleming Research Professor. He joined Georgetown as an associate professor in 2015 and was promoted to professor in 2021.
At Georgetown, Sukhatme oversees numerous strategic initiatives to bolster research and academic programming, spearheads faculty hiring and manages budgets for academic initiatives.
He received a B.S. in computer engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where he graduated with highest honors in 2001. He earned a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 2005 and a PhD. in economics from Princeton University in 2015.
Prior to his academic career, Sukhatme practiced law as a patent attorney at Latham & Watkins LLP and served as a law clerk for federal judges in the Northern District of California and the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Sukhatme’s research spans criminology, patent law, public law and election law. His scholarship has been published in prestigious journals including the Duke Law Journal, Cornell Law Review, American Law and Economics Review, and Harvard Law Review. His research on felony disenfranchisement has had significant policy implications, informing public debates and media coverage.
Beyond academia, Sukhatme served as the Thomas Alva Edison Visiting Scholar in the Office of the Chief Economist at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He also co-founded Free Our Vote, a nonprofit that works to restore voting rights, and Spindrop, a music technology AI startup.
