Purnima
Adhikari

I trained as an architect at Pulchowk Campus, Nepal's most competitive engineering school, graduating with distinction and a thesis focused on student wellbeing at public spaces. But the further I went into design, the more I found myself drawn to the scale above the building: the neighbourhood, the network, the city.

My research on student engagement and wellbeing at public spaces, published in the Journal of Engineering Issues and Solutions in 2026, sits at the intersection of architecture, urban behaviour, and evidence-based design. It's the kind of question I want to keep asking, not just for campuses, but for cities.

I'm now preparing to specialise in Urban & Regional Planning, with particular interest in urban informatics, sustainable urbanism, and the role of data in shaping equitable, climate-responsive cities. I bring a design sensibility to quantitative thinking, and a planner's curiosity to architectural problems.