Sonam Nyenda is currently a PhD student at the University of Virginia in the Department of Religious Studies and studies Tibetan Buddhism. Previously, he taught in the Department of History and Culture at the College of Language and Culture studies (CLCS), Royal University of Bhutan (RUB) from 2011 to mid 2021. Nyenda completed his Masters in Religious Studies from the University of Colorado Boulder. His Masters research titled, Kangsol: A Vajrakilaya Performance Tradition of Sumthrang Monastery in Central Bhutan examined the intersection of lineage, ritual and visual art of Sumthrang looking at the mechanism to restore the perceived balance between the physical and non-physical realms that surrounds the monastery. Nyenda continues his research interest in the intersection of art, text and rituals by looking at Bhutanese Buddhist practices mostly circling around Nyo Gyelwa Lhanangpa (1164-1224) and his traditions.  He was also the founder and coordinator of Bhutan and Himalayan Research Centre (BHRC) while at CLCS. Nyenda is also the founding and executive member of Nyo Foundation of Bhutan (NFB) https://nyoefoundation.org/.