Eli Dourado is a senior research fellow at the Center for Growth and Opportunity at Utah State University. He focuses on the hard technology and innovation needed to drive large increases in economic growth—speeding up infrastructure deployment, eliminating barriers to entrepreneurs operating in the physical world, and getting the most out of federal technology research programs. He has worked on a wide range of technology policy issues, including aviation, Internet governance, and cryptocurrency. His popular writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Foreign Policy, among other outlets.

Prior to joining the CGO, Eli was the first policy hire at a supersonic aviation startup. Before that, he was a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and director of its technology policy program. He also served as an advisor to the State Department on international telecommunication matters. He received a PhD in economics from George Mason University and a BA in economics and political science from Furman University.