Niraj has 25 + years of experience working in higher education and has managed the development of over 3 million square feet of space in award winning facilities. He has a professional degree in architecture and a master’s degree in regional planning. Niraj is a past President of the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP). In 2019 Niraj was awarded the Marsh O’Neill award by Stanford University for supporting research excellence at Stanford. In 2018 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from SCUP. He is a former city Planning Commissioner and board member of civic and government organizations. His past experience includes work at Stanford University School of Medicine, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, the University of Cincinnati, and California State University Monterey Bay.