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Kathmandu University

International Centre for
Interdisciplinary Heritage Studies

A collaborative platform for institutions, communities, students and scholars to engage with the idea and practice of heritage — across disciplines and across borders.

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What's New
🏛️ ICIHS officially established under Kathmandu University — 2026
📚 Interdisciplinary PhD in Heritage Studies to be announced soon
🔬 Pilot Research: Assessing Indoor Environmental Conditions of Vernacular Buildings of Nepal
🎓 Undergraduate elective courses available in upcoming semester
🌏 International Field Schools — Coming soon
👥 Faculty affiliations now open — Contact the Director
🏛️ ICIHS officially established under Kathmandu University — 2026
📚 Interdisciplinary PhD in Heritage Studies to be announced soon
🔬 Pilot Research: Assessing Indoor Environmental Conditions of Vernacular Buildings of Nepal
🎓 Undergraduate elective courses available in upcoming semester
🌏 International Field Schools — Coming soon
👥 Faculty affiliations now open — Contact the Director
About Us

Understanding Heritage,
Together

The International Centre for Interdisciplinary Heritage Studies (ICIHS) at Kathmandu University is envisaged as both an academic entity and a collaborative platform — connecting institutions, communities, students and scholars to engage with the idea and practice of heritage.

“
Heritage is rarely perceived as belonging just to one disciplinary way or to any classification or even confining to political boundaries.
Rationale

Why Interdisciplinary Heritage?

The term 'heritage' today has become a common and everyday term, but the usage and meanings vary depending on the user and the specific interests. In academia and professional circles, it is primarily used fitting into one's disciplinary background. In geopolitics, sometimes heritage becomes a contested agenda, while at the ground level, shared heritage also connects people across borders.

Fundamentally, at community level, heritage is rarely perceived as belonging just to one disciplinary way or to any classification or even confining to political boundaries. In such contexts, there is an increasing realization and move towards interconnecting various disciplinary concepts and approaches, and blurring boundaries of classifications and nationalization.

Yet, it is a journey we need to travel collaboratively, critically and creatively so that heritage makes sense to the present and contributes for a better future. Keeping such a need in mind, Kathmandu University has established the International Centre for Interdisciplinary Heritage Studies in the year 2026.

This concept note is subject to evolve as the centre evolves into its team and activities.

The Centre

Our Journey

20 January 2026

Establishment Decision

The executive council of Kathmandu University, in its 762nd meeting, decided to set up the International Centre for Interdisciplinary Heritage Studies.

2 April 2026

Operational Guidelines Adopted

The executive council, in its 767th meeting, adopted the operational guidelines of the centre.

26 June 2026

Steering Committee Formed

The first steering committee under the chairmanship of the Registrar (Professor Rajeev Shrestha) was formed by the executive council.

21 July 2026

Director Appointed

Professor Neel Kamal Chapagain was appointed as the Centre Director upon the recommendation of the steering committee.

Kathmandu University has been a pioneering academic institution in Nepal, with recognized global engagements and interdisciplinary pursuits. The centre is currently in its formative stage with setting up of the office and the core team.

Leadership

Steering Committee

Chairperson

Professor Dr. Rajeev Shrestha

Registrar, Kathmandu University

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Member

Dr. Uddhav Pyakurel

Dean, School of Arts, KU

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Member

Professor Dr. Manish Pokhrel

Dean, School of Engineering, KU

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Member

Dr. Shiva Kumar Giri

Dean, School of Law, KU

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Member Secretary
Professor Dr. Neel Kamal Chapagain

Professor Dr. Neel Kamal Chapagain

Director, ICIHS

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Advisory Committee

The Advisory Committee is currently being constituted. Details will be announced soon.

In Process
Director

Meet the Director

Prof. Neel Kamal Chapagain

Prof. Neel Kamal Chapagain

Director, ICIHS

Neel Kamal Chapagain joined Kathmandu University on 17 July 2025 as a Professor of Architecture, and is appointed as the Director of ICIHS from 17 July 2026.

He was previously a professor and Director of the Centre for Heritage Management at Ahmedabad University in India. In addition, he has extended his academic service as an invited lecturer and resource person to different programmes in China, Japan, Mongolia, Philippines, and South Korea in the past decade.

Previously he taught at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point as a full-time faculty, and at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee as a doctoral teaching assistant.

International Affiliations

  • Member of UNESCO's global facilitators network for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage under the 2003 Convention
  • Active role in Asia Pacific Higher Education Network for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage (APHEN-ICH)
  • Active role in the Asian Academy for Heritage Management (AAHM)
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A Call for Collaboration

From the Director's Desk

Welcome to the virtual space of the International Centre for Interdisciplinary Heritage Studies at Kathmandu University!

You have a sense of heritage because it is about you. You are interested in heritage because it relates to what we do and what we are concerned about. You want to engage with heritage because you may be interested in making a career, or just being a good human being. For whatever reason you are browsing this page, I hope you are able to connect.

You want to contribute meaningfully to a society — whether it is your own or a neighboring one or a distant one; and heritage offers you that connection to a society. You want to work for sustainable development, and heritage can be a vehicle for sustainable development. You want to pursue a meaningful research, and heritage can be a theme to look at no matter what discipline you belong to.

You may be interested in Nepal, or South Asia, or Himalaya, or any other regions of the World, heritage is one of the meaningful shared discourse. It is not about what exactly we need to do — whether to preserve or let go, but it is about how we understand ourselves, our society, our ecosystem, our relations with each other, our future, our responsibility to the planet and to the generations to come.

Yes, it is vague but it is also a common language. Heritage today is a word used by many in their own ways. This is not a problem, this is an opportunity to engage with each other through this common term. This also means we may want to examine the term itself (not just in English language but in Nepali and other languages), we may have to critique the processes of making a heritage as well as reasons for breaking a heritage, and we may have to look upto heritage to find avenues of innovation — both on heritage and with heritage. There is so much to do, and this centre wishes to facilitate such discourses across disciplines and across borders.

We welcome your thoughts, initiatives and opportunities of collaboration.

Looking forward,

Neel Kamal Chapagain

July 2026

People

Faculty, Staff &
Research Associates

Faculty Affiliates

As per the operational guidelines of the centre, any faculty of Kathmandu University may affiliate with the centre for teaching and research on interdisciplinary heritage agenda.

Contact the Director →

Staff

Recruitment is currently in process. Staff profiles will be added as the team is established.

Recruitment in Process

Research Interns & Exchange Scholars

We welcome research interns and exchange scholars/students who wish to engage with interdisciplinary heritage studies.

Write to Us →
Academics

Academic Programmes

02

Undergraduate Elective Courses

An elective course for any undergraduate student of Kathmandu University will be available in the upcoming semester.

Upcoming Semester
03

International Field School 2026

Explore heritage, tourism, and the transformation of cultural landscapes across Nepal from 21–30 November 2026.

Explore Field School →
04

Capacity Building Programmes

Programmes are currently being formulated. If your organization has any specific need of capacity building in the heritage sector, we will be happy to help you.

In Formulation
Research

Research &
Thematic Areas

Active Research

Assessing Indoor Environmental Conditions of Vernacular Buildings of Nepal

Pilot Project

Thematic Research Areas

🏛️

Art & Architecture

🔬

Building Science

🌿

Biological Diversity & Ecosystem

⚗️

Conservation Science

💻

Documentation Techniques incl. Digital & AI

🏔️

Environment & Landscapes

🌍

Geology & Geography

We are ready to carry out funded and collaborative research. If you have any idea or opportunity, let us collaborate.

Collaborate With Us
Outreach

Outreach &
Community

Awareness Programmes for Schools

Heritage awareness programmes designed for school students in and around Kathmandu University.

Conferences & Seminars

Academic conferences and seminars bringing together scholars and practitioners from around the world.

Webinar Series

Regular online webinars connecting heritage practitioners and researchers globally.

Occasional Lectures & Workshops

Special lectures, seminars, and hands-on workshops with invited experts and collaborators.

Advising & Consulting Services

Professional advisory and consulting services for heritage-related projects, organizations, and communities seeking expert guidance on heritage management and conservation.

Repository

Heritage Knowledge
Repository

We aim to create a comprehensive repository of resources related to interdisciplinary studies of heritage in Nepal and other countries. A curated collection of research papers, documentation, and heritage resources — open and accessible to scholars worldwide.

Coming Soon
Prof. Neel Kamal Chapagain
Director, ICIHS

Prof. Neel Kamal Chapagain

Professor of Architecture & Built Environment

Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, Nepal

Heritage Studies Architecture Conservation UNESCO Facilitator

👤 Biography

Neel Kamal Chapagain joined Kathmandu University in July/August 2025 as a Professor of Architecture, after spending 12 years at Ahmedabad University as a professor and earlier director of Centre for Heritage Management.

At Ahmedabad, he was instrumental in setting up a graduate programme in heritage management (launched in 2015), a Journal of Heritage Management (launched in 2016), and initiating an international conference series on Heritage Management Education and Practice (in 2017).

Prior to Ahmedabad, he was a full-time faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (USA). His most recent global engagements (2025) include Mongolia, Philippines, South Korea, Japan, and Vietnam as an international facilitator, tutor, lecturer, and invited speaker.

🔬 Research Interests

Vernacular Architecture Critical Heritage Discourse Heritage Conservation Heritage Management World Heritage Intangible Cultural Heritage Indigenous Knowledge Systems Contextual Learning
🟢 Ongoing Funded Research

World Wood Day Foundation Research Grant 2025–26
"Mapping Rapidly Declining Wooden Building Culture in Eastern Nepal and Exploring Prospects of Revival as a Sustainable Development Strategy"

🏆 Honours & Awards

  • Institution Building Award — Ahmedabad University, India (February 2016)
  • ARCC King Medal — 2013, Architectural Research Centers Consortium, North America
  • Graduate Scholar Award — International Conference on the Constructed Environment, Chicago, USA (October 2011)
  • Community Design Solutions Leadership & Service Award — University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (May 2011)
  • Chancellor's Graduate Student Award — University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2010 & 2006)
  • Hawaii Architectural Foundation Award — 2005
  • East West Center Participants Association Distinguished Service Award — 2004
  • Dr. S.B. Mathe Award for Best Thesis in B.Arch. — Tribhuvan University, Nepal (2000)

🌐 Other Positions & Affiliations

  • UNESCO Global Facilitator for Intangible Cultural Heritage (under the UNESCO 2003 Convention)
  • Co-Convener, ICOMOS International 2025 Scientific Symposium Theme 3 (Leveraging Heritage for Peace), Lumbini, Nepal
  • Editorial Board Member, Journal of Heritage Management, Ahmedabad University / Sage Publications
  • Advisor, INTACH Journal of Heritage Management, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (2022–Present)
  • Editorial Board Member, Nepalese Culture, Journal of the Central Department of Nepalese History, Culture and Archaeology, Tribhuvan University
🔗 Full Profile & Talks List