# Eli Dourado

> Eli Dourado is an economist and head of strategic investments at the Astera Institute, where he deploys capital to push frontier technologies in energy, aerospace, and other capital-intensive, heavily regulated sectors. He describes his work as a 'sacred quest to increase the pace of American economic growth,' which he argues has stagnated since around 1973. A former regulatory hacker at Boom Supersonic and director of the technology policy program at the Mercatus Center, he is known for influential essays on geothermal energy, supersonic flight, cargo airships, and ending the Great Stagnation.

- **Role:** Head of Strategic Investments at Astera Institute
- **Organizations:** Astera Institute, Abundance Institute, Center for Growth and Opportunity at Utah State University, Boom Supersonic, Mercatus Center at George Mason University
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** PhD in Economics, George Mason University, BA in Economics and Political Science, Furman University
- **Known for:** Helped establish the cargo airship industry, Negotiated global supersonic flight standards at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Served as a State Department advisor

## Career timeline

- **—** — Earned BA in economics and political science from Furman University
- **—** — Earned PhD in economics from George Mason University
- **—** — Senior research fellow and director of the technology policy program at the Mercatus Center, George Mason University
- **—** — First policy hire ('regulatory hacker') at supersonic aviation startup Boom Supersonic; helped negotiate global supersonic standards at ICAO
- **—** — Senior research fellow at the Center for Growth and Opportunity at Utah State University
- **—** — Chief economist at the Abundance Institute (remains a fellow)
- **2025** — Head of Strategic Investments at the Astera Institute

## Achievements

- Helped establish the cargo airship industry
- Negotiated global supersonic flight standards at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
- Served as a State Department advisor
- Published popular writing in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Foreign Policy
- Built and directed the technology policy program at the Mercatus Center
- Widely cited essays on next-generation geothermal energy and ending the Great Stagnation

## Latest updates

- **2025-12** — Featured as Head of Strategic Investments at Astera Institute with updated profile and portrait.
- **2025-08** — Appeared on The Generalist podcast discussing reviving forgotten technologies: airships, supersonic flight, and geothermal energy.

## Links

- Website: https://www.elidourado.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elidourado/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/elidourado
- GitHub: https://github.com/elidourado

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/eli-dourado
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-02