Sandhya Jain Patel joined the Indian and Southeast Asian Department in 2005.
  
Prior to joining Christie's, Mrs. Jain Patel spent a year in India on a Fulbright Scholarship, studying the materials and techniques of handmade paper and miniature paintings, and their conservation in both the public and private sectors. She has worked previously as a fine arts conservator and research scientist at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and also at the Judith Eisenberg Textile Conservation Studios. Her publications include research and treatment of a 15th century Nepalese thangka, and innovations in the materials and techniques of contemporary South Asian miniature painting.
  
Mrs. Jain Patel holds dual Bachelor's degrees in Biology and Art History from Rutgers University, a Master's degree in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from the University of Medicine and Dentistry, New Jersey, and two Master's degrees in Art History and in Fine Arts Conservation from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. She speaks Hindi fluently and is proficient in Italian.