Rohit Jigyasu is a conservation architect and risk management professional, who has served as a UNESCO Chair at the Institute for Disaster Mitigation of Urban Cultural Heritage at Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan, and Senior Advisor at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS). He was the elected President of ICOMOS-India in 2014 and of ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Risk Preparedness (ICORP) in 2010. Rohit also was an elected Member of the Executive Committee of ICOMOS in 2011.
While managing, monitoring and implementing programmes led by ICCROM-Sharjah, Rohit’s main responsibilities will include liaising with ICCROM Headquarters to achieve ICCROM strategic directions, providing specialized knowledge in the areas of disaster risk management for cultural heritage, devising and contributing to implementation reports, and working closely with ICCROM project associates and consultants in Sharjah and in Rome.
After undertaking his post-graduate degree in Architectural Conservation from the School of Planning and Architecture in New Delhi, Rohit obtained his doctoral degree from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. His multidisciplinary research focused on the role of traditional knowledge in disaster mitigation, especially in the South Asian context. A past ICCROM consultant, Rohit has also worked as consultant with organizations such as the Archaeological Survey of India, the Indian National Institute, UNESCO, and the Getty Conservation Institute, where he delivered training on Disaster Risk Management of Cultural Heritage. He has contributed to several international publications.
Heather Mangrum is a historic preservation professional focused on addressing domestic and international issues facing cultural heritage today. Her specialties include: sustainable design, historic restoration, and adaptive reuse. Heather works with Page & Turnbull, a full-service architecture, design, planning, and preservation firm that transforms the built environment. Heather has recently been accepted as a Ph.D. student at the University of York.