Dr. Shikha Jain is an architect with an extensive portfolio on cultural heritage that covers Conservation, World Heritage and Museum Planning of 70 plus projects in India and overseas, largely realised through her organisation DRONAH. As an international expert, she has advised government organisations and UNESCO Offices in Singapore, Malaysia, UAE, Myanmar and Indonesia. She has worked as consultant to UNESCO New Delhi and, represented Ministry of Culture, India on the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (2012-2015) and, as a bureau member for the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2023. Besides preparing dossiers for several Indian sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, she has steered a range of Museums, Interpretation Centres and Cultural Parks from design to execution stage in several states of India and Overseas. Her design of India Garden for the National Horticulture Board received the Gold Award at the Beijing Horticultural Expo, China in 2019. Her ongoing museum works include the Indian Museum, Kolkata and the Museum of Word, National Library for the Ministry of Culture besides State and City Museums in Patna, Bhopal and Jaipur.

Among her urban conservation projects, the conservation of bazaars and revitalisation of Ghat ki Guni, Jaipur have received HUDCO awards. The Jaipur Heritage Management Plan is recognized as Best Practice by NIUA, MoHUA, India in 2015 and, the Ajmer HRIDAY projects are featured in the 75 iconic Public Space Designs in ‘Transforming Urban Landscapes of India’ in 2022. She steered the NITI Aayog Report ‘Challenges faced in Heritage Management in India and Policy Imperatives’.

She is a graduate in architecture from the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), Delhi followed by a Masters in Architecture from the Kansas State University, USA and a Doctorate from De Montfort University Leicester. She has several publications to her credit as author and editor of books on India’s cultural heritage. Her most recent book ‘Incredible Treasures: World Heritage Sites of India’ was published by UNESCO and Mapin Publishers in 2021.

She is Vice President, ICOFORT and Expert Member of ISCCL; Scientific Committees of ICOMOS. She is involved in training programmes for the UNESCO C2C at WII, Dehradun, is Adjunct Faculty at the Manipal University Jaipur and the State Convener for INTACH Haryana Chapter.