She received her M.Arch. in architectural design and Ph.D. in architectural history from the University of California, Berkeley. Nair’s work centers on indigenous architecture and related material culture in the south-central Andes. She has published articles and book chapters on a variety of topics, such as Tiahuanaco architecture and construction practices, Inca landscape transformations as part of their conquest strategies, the continuation of Inca architectural practices after 1532, and an indigenous artist’s rendering of an Inca royal estate during the colonial period. She has recently completed two monographs: The Stones of Tiahuanaco: A Study of Architecture and Construction (co authored with Jean-Pierre Protzen), and Retreats without Surrender: the Architecture of Sanctuary at Chinchero.