Akshat Singh is a research associate with the Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). In this role, he works on promoting U.S.-India commercial and economic engagement. In addition to handling publications and external relations for the program, Akshat provides support on projects relating to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), clean energy, and defense. Akshat previously interned with the Chair. Prior to joining CSIS, Akshat served as the policy & communications associate at the Governance Lab (GOV/LAB) of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he supported the lab's work on promoting innovative governance policies in the Global South. Akshat has also served as an expansion consultant for a New York-based fintech startup, where he worked on improving financial literacy and access to financial institutions for women and other underrepresented groups in South Asia. He also served as a media consultant for a New Delhi-based think tank. Additionally, Akshat has worked on health policy at the Cato Institute and on U.S.-India commercial relations at McLarty Associates. Akshat graduated with a dual BA degree from Columbia University in New York, where he specialized in economics, and Sciences Po in Paris, where he specialized in politics and government. Akshat has native proficiency in Hindi and working proficiency in French. Listen to Akshat Singh's episode of The ORCA Files here: https://orcasia.org/pages/orcafiles