Monisha Nasa

Gurgaon, India
B. Arch/M.Arch UVA

Monisha is a licensed architect in Massachusetts and India, joining MIT with eight years of industry experience. Prior to her graduate studies, she worked at Elkus Manfredi Architects in Boston, where she gained experience in urban planning, mixed use commercial developments, life-science facilities, multifamily housing and hospitality projects. Through the MSRED program, she hopes to collaborate with a network of trailblazers and entrepreneurs transforming the built environment. As one of the most polluting, and least digitized industries, it is where our most pressing challenges and opportunities intersect. She aims to leverage her design background to pioneer investment strategies that promote vibrant, equitable, and resilient cities. 

Born and raised in the metropolitan area of New Delhi, a sprawling city of 46 million, Monisha’s passion for addressing urban challenges through architecture and urban design led her to join the Yamuna River Project as a graduate researcher at the University of Virginia. Subsequently, she received a faculty appointment at the Tulane School of Architecture, where she conducted research on critical urban issues such as sprawl and substandard housing, sanitation infrastructure gaps, water and energy security, and waste management in New Delhi and Jaipur, India. 

Monisha is passionate about contributing to the community through her involvement in the West End House Boys and Girls Club in Allston, MA, serving on the fundraising and event planning committee that supports youth from across Boston. Additionally, she has served on the community leadership for the Built Environment Plus (USGBC, MA) Women in Green and Emerging Professionals group. In June last year, she helped organize and moderate the “Shifting the Scope from Profit to Non-Profit” roundtable, fostering discussions on sustainability in real estate. As a panelist at the BE+ 2023 annual networking breakfast, “Women in Green: Five Generations,” she shared insights to empower women in the industry. She served as Vice Chair of the Emerging Professionals leadership group and was recognized as Emerging Professional of the Year at the BE+ 2024 Annual Meeting. In her free time, Monisha enjoys hiking, cooking, and planning her next travel adventure with her husband. 

Recently, she visited the four Asian Tigers – Singapore, Taipei, Hong Kong, and Seoul – as well as Tokyo, Beijing, and Kyoto, where she was blown away by the coexistence of ancient culture, tradition, and innovation in the built environment.