The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a bipartisan, nonprofit policy research organization and think tank based in Washington D.C., has appointed Indian-American Navin Girishankar as the president of its new Economic Security and Technology Department.
The department aims to combine multiple CSIS programs to offer research on economic and technology policies crucial to U.S. national security. It will focus on crucial areas such as AI, semiconductors, energy security, critical minerals, and technologies like digital, quantum, and cybersecurity.
Girishankar, most recently served as a senior counselor to the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce. At the department, he played a key role in shaping policies on industrial investments, U.S.-China economic relations, and economic diplomacy with global allies.
Before his government role, Girishankar held senior positions at Bridgewater Associates, advising on investments in the Middle East and Asia. At the World Bank, he led initiatives on trade, competitiveness, governance, and innovation policy. Both of these rules have enabled him to gain expertise on a wide range of domestic and international issues.
"I’m honored to lead CSIS’s work on economic security and technology at a critical moment for the Center and for our country," Girishankar said. The new department It will also address trade and investment policies, intellectual property, innovation, and economic relations with China and other global partners. The goal is to enhance collaboration between the government and private sector to strengthen economic security.
“It is imperative that we take a hard look at our technology capabilities and vulnerabilities relative to others, including China; modernize our economic and technology policy tool kit; and rethink our approach to public-private collaboration at home and economic alliances around the world. I believe the Economic Security and Technology Department and our world-class team will play a central role in meeting this challenge,” he added.
“Navin Girishankar is among Washington’s’most trusted economic strategists on domestic and international issues, with a unique track record over three decades across government, business, and the international finance institutions. He is the perfect choice to lead this initiative,” said John Hamre, CSIS president and CEO.
Girishankar holds a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Williams College. He is also a percussionist in the Indian classical tradition and practices various forms of meditation.
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