Nikhila is an award-winning architect, researcher and educator. Her research-based practice, foregrounds decolonising and participatory design methods for the built environment. Nikhila’s work has been supported by various recognitions, enabling her to gain diverse knowledge(s) on the confluence of Country, disasters and place. She is currently a Research Fellow at MADA and is co-leading Insights into Temporary and Emergency Accommodation, funded by Natural Hazards Research Australia.

Since 2020, concurrent to practice, Nikhila has undertaken consecutive competitive fellowships within the Department of Architecture including the Monash Innovation Fellowship and Fire to Flourish. Her research, practice and teaching through these projects have focused on rethinking community-led recovery of built environments in remote, regional and disaster-affected contexts across Australia. Nikhila's strong intercultural competency enables her work to build bridges between academic, disciplinary and public discourse on social equity in the built environment.