Professor Desai's scholarship examines how business interests, new technology, and economic theories shape privacy and intellectual property law and where those arguments explain productivity or where they fail to capture society's interest in the free flow of information and development.
He has written about the intersection of science and technology for more than 15 years and the importance of understanding information theory and AI since 2012. In addition to his work on science, technology, and law, Professor Desai has a series of papers bringing business theory and practical realities about branding into legal scholarship.
His work has appeared in leading law reviews and journals including the Harvard Journal of Law and Technology, Georgetown Law Journal, Minnesota Law Review, Notre Dame Law Review, Wisconsin Law Review, and U.C. Davis Law Review. In addition, he has published in computer science outlets such as ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency and Proceedings of AAAI/ACM Conference on AI, Ethics, and Society.
Prior to becoming a professor, Desai has been a litigator handing intellectual property and technology matters with Quinn, Emanuel, Urquhart, & Sullivan, LLP, in-house counsel for an idealab! Internet infrastructure company, and part of policy and fundraising teams on the 2002 Cory Booker for Mayor campaign.
Professor Desai has been interviewed about 3D printing, intellectual property, privacy, and technology by the New York Times and the news show, Take Part Live.
He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley with highest honors and the Yale Law School, where he was co-editor-in-chief of the "Yale Journal of Law & the Humanities."