Simhanjana Gopikrishna Sumathi - BIO

Simhanjana Gopikrishna Sumathi is a lawyer and legal researcher working at the intersection of international law, national security, and emerging technology governance. Her work engages with questions of state power, regulatory design, and institutional accountability in rapidly evolving technological and geopolitical contexts. 

She holds an LL.M. in National Security Law from Georgetown University Law Center, where her research examined India’s defence self-reliance in the context of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. During her time at Georgetown, she was selected as a participant in the Guantanamo Observers Program and served as a peer reviewer for the Journal of National Security Law & Policy. She also contributed to discussions and writing on national security issues through platforms such as Lawfare. She previously served as a judicial law clerk at the High Court of Madras, working on matters involving constitutional law, criminal law, and public law.

Her professional experience includes internships with the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry under Dr. Kiran Bedi, and with the Law Commission of India, where she was involved in research on legal and policy issues. She has authored multiple publications on international law and policy, including work published in the American Bar Association’s International Law News, focusing on international human rights, national security law, and global governance.

Her research focuses on comparative AI regulation, national security frameworks, and the governance of emerging technologies across jurisdictions. She is particularly interested in how legal frameworks are adapted and implemented in practice, especially in areas involving strategic technologies, security policy, and cross-border regulatory coordination.