Prof. Pratyush Shankar is the Provost of Navrachana University Vadodara (NUV), India, and serves as the Dean of the School of Environmental Design and Architecture (SEDA). With over 30 years of experience in architectural education, research, and practice, he has played a vital role in shaping contemporary architectural pedagogy and urban discourse in India.
In 2023, he was the Creative Director of the prestigious Humboldt Residency Program in Berlin, Germany. He was also recently appointed International Ambassador for the University of Bonn, a recognition that builds on his earlier achievement of receiving the Alexander von Humboldt Senior Fellowship (2015–2017) during his academic tenure at the same institution; underscoring his longstanding contributions to global academic collaboration in architecture.
Prof. Shankar is a widely published author whose work has significantly contributed to architectural and urban studies. His most recent book, History of Urban Form: India (Oxford University Press, 2023), further solidifies his reputation as a thought leader in the field. He is an Editor of the Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group) Publication titled “Potency of the Vernacular Settlements: Recent Scholarships in Vernacular Studies (2024)” comprising of Proceedings from the 11th International Seminar on Vernacular Settlements (ISVS 11). His acclaimed book, Himalayan Cities: Settlement Pattern, Public Places and Architecture (Niyogi Publishers, 2014), offers an in-depth exploration of the spatial culture and urbanism of the Himalayan region.
Internationally, he continues to contribute as a Guest Professor in the Mundus Urbano Program at the Faculty of Architecture, TU Darmstadt, Germany. Alongside his academic work, he runs a design practice that reflects his commitment to heritage conservation, sustainability, and context-sensitive design.
His architectural work has received national recognition, including the 22nd JK Cement Architect of the Year Award (2013) for Residential Design. In 2025, he was awarded the ID Honours in the Conservation Architecture category for the restoration of Haveli Hari Krupa in Anand, Gujarat.
Prof. Shankar is the founder of CityLabs India, a research and advocacy platform focused on urban issues, training, and awareness. He also serves as a member of NITI Aayog’s Expert Committee on Hill Architecture, where he advises on climate-responsive and ecologically sensitive design in vulnerable hill regions.
Before joining Navrachana University Vadodara, he was Acting Dean and Head of the Undergraduate Program at CEPT University, Ahmedabad. During his two-decade-long tenure, he led key academic reforms, including the implementation of choice-based learning and interdisciplinary curriculum models.
