Keynote Speakers

Dr. Renu M. Rameshan

Date: 26th November 2024
Time:
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM

Venue: IIT Dharwad

Bio: Dr. Renu Rameshan is a Lead Research Scientist at Vehant Technologies, where she focuses on developing advanced solutions in computer vision, image processing, and machine learning for security applications. With a Ph.D. from IIT Bombay and a master’s degree from IISc, she has deep expertise in signal processing, image restoration, computational photography, computer vision and deep learning. She has authored a book on Blind Image Deconvolution. Dr. Renu’s work includes real-time denoising algorithms for X-ray baggage scanners, 3D vision, and video analytics. Prior to her current role, she was an Assistant Professor at IIT Mandi, contributing to research in geometrical learning, lightfield image compression, and video analysis. Dr. Renu has received several accolades, including best paper awards, and is recognized for her contributions to both academia and industry in applying cutting-edge technology to solve complex real-world problems.

Title: Revolutionizing Physical Security with AI

Abstract: In this talk I will talk about the physical security products that Vehant manufactures and how we use AI to achieve performances that were unattainable a few years back. An overview of the state-of-the-art in generative models will also be touched upon.

Dr C.P. Ravikumar

Date: 26th November 2024
Time:
02:00 PM – 03:00 PM

Venue: IIT Dharwad

Bio: Dr C.P. Ravikumar is an Adjunct Faculty at IIIT Dharwad. He obtained a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from the University of Southern California, an M.E. in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Science with highest scores, and a B.E. in Electronics Engineering with a Gold Medal for topping the Bangalore University. He worked as a Professor of Electrical Engineering at IIT Delhi for 10 years before moving to Texas Instruments, where he spent 23 years in various roles such as Senior Consultant in VLSI Test, Director of University Relations and Director of Technical Talent Development.  Dr. Ravikumar has published over 250 research papers and is the author/coauthor of over 15 books. He has 4 US patents in the area of VLSI Test. He is a Senior Member of IEEE and a Fellow of INAE. He started the VLSI Design and Test Symposium (VDAT) in 1996 and nurtured it for 16 years as its General Chair. He was the honorary secretary of VLSI Society of India for 8 years. He started the Bangalore Chapter of IEEE Circuits and Systems Society and was its Honorary Secretary for 8 years. Ravikkumar has received 5 Best Paper awards and has been recognized by Zinnov Foundation and the India Semiconductor Association for his work in Semiconductor Ecosystem Development.

Title: Applying Informatics in Engineering Education

Abstract: The number of institutions which offer engineering education has grown significantly in the last two decades. At the same time, the reality is that a significant number of engineering seats in colleges go vacant year after year. We are also witnessing increased absenteeism in classes and an increase in dropouts. The quality of education offered many institutions is questionable and ranking systems have been evolved to separate institutions on the basis of their merit. Even these ranking systems have come under criticism due to their bias. We constantly hear about the lack of employability of graduating engineering students and the solutions proposed for improving this elusive metric are not backed by data. Engineering Informatics can greatly enhance engineering education by leveraging data analytics, digital tools, and automation to improve learning outcomes, curriculum development, and student engagement. In this talk, I will consider an example of using data analytics to student performance prediction. I will also share my thoughts on where data analytics and Generative AI may play a meaningful role in engineering education.

 

Dr. Aravind Chinchure
Founder, QLeap Academy

Date: 27th November 2024
Time:
09:30 AM – 10:30 AM

Venue: KLE Technological University

Bio: Dr Aravind Chinchure holds a PhD in Physics and has a rich 30-year background spanning R&D, technology, innovation, intellectual property, startups, business strategy, and policy. He is the Founder & CEO of QLeap Academy, focused on cultivating 21st-century professionals and leaders specialized in Industry 4.0. He currently serves on the Board of Management of Manipal University, Jaipur. He has worked previously in academic organizations including Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (Mumbai), Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory (Leiden, Netherlands) and Symbiosis International University (Pune, India). His professional journey encompasses working with prominent multinational and Indian corporations, including GE Global Research, Honeywell Technology Solutions, Reliance Innovation Leadership Centre. He has authored a national strategic policy paper titled “Industry 4.0: A Roadmap for India’s Global Leadership,” published by the Pune International Centre (PIC). He is author of a book, “The New Age Organisation,” introduces a ground-breaking framework to help organizations navigate rapid disruptions and assume leadership in the fourth industrial revolution (https://www.thenewageorganisation.com).

Dr Chinchure is actively engaged with several national and international organizations including:

  1. Member of Technical Advisory Committee of United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Department of Science & Technology (DST) project on Indian Innovation Systems Study
  2. Member of the International Committee constituted by the World Bank to develop research and innovation programs for Higher Education Acceleration & Transformation (HEAT) for South Asian countries
  3. Member of International Advisory Board of Intellectual Property Models for Accelerating Sustainability Transitions (IPACST). The project is executed by the team of researchers at the University Cambridge, UK, Lund University, Sweden, Freie University, Germany, HTW University, Berlin and IISc, India.
  4. Senior Fellow at the Pune International Centre (PIC), Pune. Leading policy research in the areas of Industry 4.0 and Innovation
  5. Member of Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of the International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and Advanced Materials, Hyderabad, India
  6. Member of Scientific Advisory of Centre for Translational Cancer Research, IISER, Pune
    Research collaborator of Centre for Frugal Innovation, Hamburg Technical University, Hamburg, Germany
  7. Member of Scientific Advisory of Prashanti Cancer Care Mission
  8. Board member of Gyanome focused on education for all
  9. Board member at Manipal University, Jaipur
  10. Board member to Swayan Sikshan Prayog
  11. Served as International Expert (IP & Innovation) for World Bank funded project in South Asia.
  12. Jury to several corporate and social innovation awards including Mahindra Group Innovation Awards, Tata Group Innovista Awards, Tata Motor’s Imagineering and other.
  13. Served as a member of national committees for innovation and entrepreneurship of India’s largest industry association – Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) for four years,
    Served as a member of Sectoral Innovation Council for Ministry of Trade and Commerce, Government of India, and State Innovation Council of Government of Gujarat

Dr Chinchure is recipient of several fellowships and awards from India and abroad, including.

  • European Union Fellowship to work at the Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory, Leiden, The Netherlands
  • Dutch Academy of Science (NWO) Fellowship to work at University of Leiden, The Netherlands
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship to work at Max-Plank Institute, Dresden, Germany
  • Dorabji Tata Trust scholarship for attending summer schools at University of Oxford, UK and Paul Scherer Institute, Zurich, Switzerland
  • Elected as a Fellow of Society for Technology Management (STEM) for the scholarly engagement, experience and contributions in the field of Technology Management
    “Excellence in Innovation” Award from Indira Group of Institutions at their Innovation Summit
  • “Exceptional Leaders of Excellence” award from Women Economic Forum (WEF)
    “IP Professional of the Year” Award from LegalEra
  • GE Management Award for the outstanding contribution in the technology development project
  • GE-Inventors Bonus Award for creating intellectual property
  • “Partner Award” from Honeywell Global for identifying technology enforcement opportunity for business

Dr Chinchure has authored 28 research articles published in international journals in the area of condensed matter physics and has filed 4 patents as lead and co-inventor in different geographies including US, Europe, Japan in the area of fuel cells.

Title: Engineering the Future: How Industry 4.0 Innovations Fuel the Next Wave of Disruption

Abstract: In an era of rapid technological evolution, Industry 4.0 stands as a transformative force reshaping industries and redefining what’s possible. This keynote will explore the trajectory of Industry 4.0—from its foundational technologies to its emerging potential to revolutionize the way industries operate, create value, and respond to global challenges. The talk will examine the future of intelligent manufacturing, predictive maintenance, and the integration of cyber-physical systems, illuminating how these advances are not only engineering the future but setting the stage for a new era of disruptive possibilities. The goal will be to inspire and equip researchers, engineers, and industry professionals to envision and actively shape the next wave of technological disruption, building a resilient and dynamic future.

Dr. Venkata Santosh Kumar Delhi

Date: 27th November 2024
Time:
02:00 PM – 03:00 PM

Venue:KLE Technological University

Bio: Dr. Venkata Santosh Kumar Delhi is an Associate Professor at Civil Engineering Department at IIT Bombay. He has obtained his PhD in Construction Management from Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras. He is also an alumni of IIT Madras having graduated with a Bachelor’s of Technology in Civil Engineering as topper of the batch. He was also a Fulbright Nehru Doctoral and Professional Research Fellow at Global Projects Center, Stanford University, USA in 2012.
Currently, he is part of the Construction Technology and Management Specialization in Civil Engineering Department, IIT Bombay. His research interests include Information Management on Large Engineering Projects. Particularly, he works on Building Information Modelling (BIM), AI/ML applications in Construction Management, Construction Contract Management, AR/VR/MR applications to Construction Safety and Planning. He is also actively involved in a number of projects that aim at providing policy and strategy guidance to various governmental agencies and private companies.
More information at https://www.civil.iitb.ac.in/~venkatad/

Title: Digital Construction for Infrastructure Delivery

Dr. P Rajalakshmi

Date: 28th November 2024
Time:
09:30 AM – 10:30 AM

Venue: IIIT Dharwad

Bio: Dr. P Rajalakshmi, is Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, CYIENT Chair Professor in Future Communications, and Project Director of Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigation Foundation (TiHAN) at IIT Hyderabad. Her research areas: Autonomous Navigation, Drone based sensing, wireless communications, Internet of Things, Cyber Physical Systems targeting applications like autonomous transportation – aerial and terrestrial, agriculture, healthcare, environmental monitoring, and smart buildings. She has been handling R&D projects funded by industry and Government of India in these areas. She is the Principal Investigator for NMICPS Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigations Foundation at IITH funded by DST. Along with fundamental theoretical research in IoT/CPS domain, she also emphasizes on translational research which involves development of minimum viable and user beneficial products. Out of her research activities, she has filed 15+ patents, published over 40+ Journals and 150+ conference peer-reviewed papers. She was awarded Young Faculty Research Fellowship under Visvesvaraya PhD Programme in January 2016 for a period of 5 years, ‘Digital Trail Blazer Award 2016’ by India Today, best paper and poster awards in reputed conferences. She is also Member of CII Telangana Digital Transformation and IT Panel since August 2018.

Title: Autonomous Navigation Research at TiHAN-IITH.

Abstract: 

 
Dr. Abhijit Lele

Date: 28th November 2024
Time:
02:00 PM – 03:00 PM

Venue: IIIT Dharwad

Bio: Abhijit Lele is a PhD from Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. He is a technologist and researcher building enabling technologies and products related to IoT, Knowledge Engineering, Wireless Networks and Data platforms. Worked in companies & research organization like ST Microelectronics, Motorola Research Labs, Samsung and Bosch. Abhijit is a co-founder of Urjalinks Technologies which builds connected platforms for Smart Energy Management. Currently he is associated with ArtPark at Indian Institute of Science, where his research focus is on building systems for Vehicle Safety using 5G technologies as an enabler.

Title: Intelligent Connected Mobility in 5G Era

Abstract: While vehicle safety is of paramount importance, there are very limited products and features available for the two wheelers. For the four wheeler segment,  Advanced Driver Assistance system (ADAS) is fairly mature, its equivalent in two wheeler, the Advanced Rider Assistance system (ARAS) has limited adoption and maturity. If the on-vehicle sensing technology is augmented with infrastructure based sensing (infrastructure camera’s, traffic signal patterns, etc ), the accuracy and dependability of ARAS can be considerably improved. 5G will play an important role achieving this deep fusion of sensing data to provide more accurate and real-time outcomes to alert users.

In a country like India with low spending capability and high accident rates, it is important to democratize the safety features beyond OEMs and explore a Digital infrastructure based solution capable of not only providing safety features, but also feature related to traffic management and regulation to enable decongestion of cities. 

During this talk, we will explore the application of 5G technology for vehicle safety and investigate if it is possible to build an ARAS with minimum use of on-vehicle sensing technology.