Jaya is an urban development professional and researcher with over two decades of global experience in sustainable development, urban resilience and natural resource management. She provides strategic leadership to all urban development, and planning and resilience initiatives across WRI India and is currently also the Executive Program Director, Sustainable Cities and Director, WRI India Ross Center.

A systems thinker, Jaya is always looking at ways to integrate data and science into policy and development initiatives. Prior to WRI India, Jaya worked for the Centre for Infrastructure, Sustainable Transport and Urban Planning (CISTUP) at the Indian Institute of Science, leading the urban planning and infrastructure development team. Along with donning many hats, she has also worked with the City of Charlotte for over 8 years, first with the transit system and then with the planning department, championing strategic and local area plans, compact growth policies, economic development initiatives and modernizing development regulations.

A published author, Jaya earned her undergraduate degree in architecture from the University of Pune and holds a Master’s in City Planning from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. She also studied community planning, with a focus on environmental policy and planning, from the University of Cincinnati. In addition to her WRI India commitments, Jaya serves as a Managing Associate Editor for the Journal of Sustainable Urbanization, Planning and Progress (Whioce Publishing, Singapore) and currently resides in Bengaluru with her family.