Aakrith Harikumar

Aakrith Harikumar is a research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. His research focuses on the political economy of outer space, particularly how institutions shape innovation and international cooperation under conditions of technological and geopolitical uncertainty. His interests include space governance, space resources, public-private coordination, and the role of emerging space powers such as India.

Harikumar is a coauthor of Space Jam, the Mercatus Center’s space policy Substack. Before joining Mercatus, he worked on Indo-Pacific political and economic issues and served as editor-in-chief of the SAIS Review of International Affairs. He holds an MA in international relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a BA in global affairs from O. P. Jindal Global University.