Indian American environmental policy scholar Aseem Prakash has joined Georgetown University as McCourt Chair at the McCourt School of Public Policy, with a joint appointment at the university’s Earth Commons Institute.

Georgetown announced the appointment on Sept. 21. Prakash brings decades of research and teaching experience focused on environmental policy, climate governance, nonprofit organizations and the role of voluntary and private regulation in public affairs.

Before moving to Georgetown, Prakash was a professor of political science at the University of Washington in Seattle. He previously taught at George Washington University’s School of Business after completing a joint doctorate through Indiana University’s Department of Political Science and School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

Prakash began his professional career in India, working in marketing at Procter & Gamble before entering academia. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from St. Stephen’s College at the University of Delhi and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad.

His scholarship examines how governments, companies and nonprofit organizations respond to environmental and social challenges. He also founded the Environmental Politics and Governance network, which connects researchers studying environmental policy across political science and related fields.

Prakash is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and the Washington State Academy of Sciences. He has served as an international research fellow at the University of Oxford’s Center for Corporate Reputation and as a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s Board on Environmental Change and Society.

His recent honors include the American Political Science Association’s 2025 John Gaus Award, which recognized a lifetime of scholarship connecting political science and public administration. He also received the association’s 2024 Excellence in Mentoring Award and its 2020 Elinor Ostrom Career Achievement Award. The International Studies Association honored him with its Distinguished Scholar Award in 2023.

At Georgetown, Prakash joins a Washington-based public policy school whose programs connect academic research with government and civic leadership. His joint role with the Earth Commons Institute positions him to contribute across public policy, climate research and environmental education.

Key Takeaways About Aseem Prakash

• He has joined Georgetown University as McCourt Chair.
• He also holds an appointment with the Earth Commons Institute.
• His research focuses on environmental policy and climate governance.
• He previously taught at the University of Washington.
• His honors include the American Political Science Association’s John Gaus Award.