Samidha Pusalkar is a heritage professional with a PhD in Preservation of Architectural Heritage from Politecnico di Milano, Italy. Her doctoral research explored context-sensitive approaches to conserving living heritage, examining socio-religious values and community practices to understand the complexities of conservation processes. She holds an MA in Architecture and Historic Urban Environments from the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London; a BA in History from Savitribai Phule University, Pune; and a Diploma in Built Heritage Studies and Conservation (BHSC), Mumbai.
Trained across history, archaeology, architecture, urban studies, and cultural management, her work engages with built heritage through the lenses of intangible values, placemaking, community participation, and heritage policy.
Samidha has over eight years of international experience, having worked with organisations including English Heritage, ICOMOS, Future for Religious Heritage, INTACH, and ESACH. She currently serves on the Scientific Advisory Committee of Future for Religious Heritage and chairs its Young Professionals Working Group, which she founded in December 2023.
At the Bern Academy of the Arts (HKB), within the Critical Conservation research project (PI: Hanna B. Hölling), Samidha will conduct research on communities of practice, non-Western expertise, and transversal conservation, with a focus on heritage contexts in Asia.