Kumar Bahukhandi
Anant National University has appointed renowned architect, interior designer, design educator and institutional leader Jabeen Zacharias as a Professor of Practice. With over four decades of professional experience, Zacharias brings to Anant a distinctive combination of design practice, education, advocacy and institutional leadership.
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Architect and Design Educator Jabeen Zacharias Joins Anant National University as Professor of Practice
As Chief Architect of Jabeen Zacharias Architects, she has led more than 300 successful projects across hospitality, institutional, corporate, museum, cultural and residential sectors. She has also contributed extensively to design education in India through teaching, advocacy and leadership roles across academic and professional institutions, including the College of Engineering Trivandrum, the IIID Education Council and the Institute of Indian Interior Designers (IIID).
She has been associated with the Asia Pacific Space Designers Association (APSDA), the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers (IFI) and the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA), where she was the first woman to chair the Kerala Chapter. She currently serves as Director, Vision & Strategy at the Global Village Foundation, further extending her engagement across education, human settlements, ecology, culture and civic initiatives.
At Anant, Zacharias will bring her extensive professional experience and industry perspective into the academic environment, strengthening the connection between design education and professional practice. Her engagement will span experiential and interdisciplinary learning, design advocacy, mentorship and professional networks, creating opportunities for students to learn from real-world practice and engage with the broader social, cultural and environmental contexts of design.
Her appointment strengthens Anant’s commitment to creating a wholesome learning ecosystem where students engage with leading practitioners who have shaped the profession through sustained work, exemplary leadership and powerful impact.
As design education evolves beyond technical training towards contextual, ethical and purpose-driven problem-solving, her multidimensional engagements will play a key role in preparing students to respond thoughtfully to the complex realities of our world.
About Anant National University
Anant National University is India’s premier design university, preparing students to face the complex challenges of both the contemporary and emergent worlds. Guided by its brand philosophy, “Come, Create the New”, Anant encourages learners to move beyond conventional ways of thinking and imagining, designing and pursuing more inclusive, sustainable and future-ready possibilities instead.
The University offers multidisciplinary undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes across design, architecture, climate action and visual arts. Anant’s inventive academic approach combines rigorous learning, studio-based practice, emerging technologies, sustainability, Indigenous Knowledge Systems, research, entrepreneurship and hands-on community experiences.
Anant has been recognised as a Centre of Excellence by the Government of Gujarat. It has also received a ‘5-Star Rating’ in Architecture and a ‘4-Star Rating’ in the University category under the Gujarat State Institutional Rating Framework (GSIRF) 2023–24. These recognitions reflect Anant’s continuing commitment to build a world-class institution rooted in creativity, contextual understanding, innovation and purpose.
About Anant National University
At Anant National University, education begins with a simple belief: the future will not be inherited. It will be purposefully designed.
Guided by the philosophy: Come, Create the New, Anant brings together learners who are curious about the world as it is, but also ambitious about what it could become. The University encourages students to look beyond conventional answers and engage with the complex challenges of our times: Ranging from climate and sustainability to cities, communities, systems and technologies.
Anant offers undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes across design, architecture, climate action and visual arts. Its approach combines academic rigour with studio-based learning, emerging technologies, research, entrepreneurship, Indigenous Knowledge Systems and hands-on engagement with communities. The goal is not only to build practical skills but also to train diligent professionals who can connect disciplines, understand context and create meaningful change.
Recognised as a Centre of Excellence by the Government of Gujarat, Anant received a 5-Star Rating in Architecture and a 4-Star Rating in the University category under the Gujarat State Institutional Rating Framework (GSIRF) 2023-24. These recognitions reflect Anant’s abiding commitment to build an innovating institution where creativity, sustainability, innovation and purpose come together to help shape a more thoughtful and resilient future.
