Prof. Varun Dutt, M.S, Ph.D. Professor and Principal Investigator
Dr. Dutt works as a Full Professor in the School of Computing and Electrical
Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology Mandi. He is also the Dean, Resource Generation and Alumni
Relations, IIT Mandi. In the past, he served as the Chair of the Indian Knowledge System and Mental Health
Applications (IKSMHA) Centre at IIT Mandi. Dr. Dutt has applied his knowledge and skills in the fields of
psychology, public policy, and computer science to explore how humans make decisions on social, managerial,
and environmental issues. Dr. Dutt's Ph.D. thesis focused on answering the question: why do we want to defer
actions on climate change and he has investigated the question by applying literature on people’s
risk-preferences, time-preferences, social-cultural dilemmas, and linear thinking. Dr. Dutt has used
lab-based methods involving experiments with human participants and cognitive models to investigate his
research questions.
Dr. Dutt serves as a senior member of IEEE and as the Principal Investigator at Applied Cognitive Science
(ACS) Lab. He is currently serving as an Academic Editor of PloS Computational Biology journal, Associate
Editor of Frontiers in Cognitive Science journal, a Review Editor of Frontiers in Decision Neuroscience
journal, and a member of the editorial boards of the International Journal on Cyber Situational Awareness
and the Journal of Dynamic Decision Making. Also, Dr. Dutt serves on the Board of Directors of Intiot
Services Pvt. Ltd., India. In the recent past, Dr. Dutt served as a special topics editor in Frontiers in
Psychology (Cognitive Science) journal for special issues on “Application of Cognitive Approaches to Cyber
Security,” “Human Decision-Making in Combat Situations Involving Traditional and Immersive Visual
Technologies,” and “Highlights in Psychology for Clinical Settings: Military Personnel and Veteran Mental
Health.” He was also a lead author on IPCC WG III's 5th Assessment Report. For more information on
research, please visit ACS Lab and IKSMHA Centre You may also visit the following pages: Varun Dutt's
IRINS page, Varun Dutt's Research Gate page, and Varun Dutt's Google Scholar page For technology
commercialization, please visit the following page: Intiot Services Pvt. Ltd.
Office: 304, 3rd Floor, A4 Building, IIT Mandi, Kamand Web: http://faculty.iitmandi.ac.in/~varun/ E-mail: varun[at]iitmandi [dot]ac[dot]in Phone: +91-1905-267150 Fax: +91-1905-267009
Sahil Sankhyan is a Ph.D. scholar at the Indian Institute of Technology Mandi (IIT Mandi) and holds an M.Tech in
"Electronic Product Design Technology" from C-DAC Mohali. Since 2021, he has been focused on developing
solutions for landslide hazards in the Himalayan region. His research integrates deep learning models to predict
landslide movements in advance, combining modern IoT technologies with both geotechnical and traditional methods
for landslide detection and mitigation. His areas of interest include Machine Learning, Deep Learning, and IoT
technologies. For more information or collaboration inquiries, please visit his research page.
Yashwant Kumar is currently pursuing an M.Tech (by Research) + Phd dual degree at the Indian Knowledge System and Mental Health Applications Centre (IKSMHA), IIT Mandi.
Malika is currently pursuing her PhD at IIT Mandi. She holds a master’s degree in Linguistics from Delhi
University. Her research explores innovative approaches to enhancing English comprehension through advanced
educational technologies. She focuses on training social robots with large language models (LLMs) to deliver
interactive, human-like engagement in language learning. Additionally, she leverages virtual reality (VR) to
create immersive environments, making complex content more accessible and engaging for students.
Sakshi Chauhan is a PhD scholar at the Indian Knowledge System and Mental Health Applications Centre (IKSMHA) at
IIT Mandi. She completed her M.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering from Himachal Pradesh Technical
University, securing the second position across the state. Her skills include Virtual and Augmented Reality,
Animation, Neuroscience (specializing in HRV and EEG signals), Web Development, and Computer Networks. She is
proficient in programming languages such as Python, C#, C++, and tools like Unity and Python.
Arti Devi M.Tech (R), Project Associate (2023 - Present)
Arti is currently pursuing an M.Tech (by Research) at the Indian Institute of Technology Mandi (IIT Mandi).
She holds a degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and
Technology, Longowal. Her skills include Python, machine learning, deep learning, basics of computer vision,
and generative AI (GenAI). She also has hands-on experience working with Unity. Her current research focuses
on the prediction of clinical trial outcomes and large language models (LLMs). Additionally, Arti is working
as a project associate on a project funded by Syneos Health.
Ankit is currently pursuing a PhD at the ACS Lab (IKSMHA Centre), IIT Mandi. He holds a Bachelor's degree in
Medical Sciences and an MTech in Biological Engineering and Cognitive Science. His research focuses on the
neural mechanisms underlying Curiosity, Reward-Based Learning, Memory, and Decision Making, with a
particular emphasis on EEG/ERP studies, Neurodegenerative Diseases, and interventions like Neuromodulation
and Neuroimaging. Ankit's current PhD research explores how tDCS at the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
(DLPFC) influences decision-making, risk-taking, reward valuation, and curiosity under varying cognitive
loads. This study will utilize EEG to examine the neural mechanisms underlying these cognitive functions in
the context of neuromodulation.
Premchand is currently pursuing an M.Tech (by Research) at the School of Computing and Electrical
Engineering, IIT Mandi. He holds a degree in Electronic Instrumentation and Control Engineering and has a strong foundation in DevOps, IoT, and cloud technologies. His skills
include automation, machine learning, circuit and PCB design, firmware development, and mobile app
development with Flutter. He is proficient in tools such as Docker, AWS, and Terraform.
Shubham Thakur is currently pursuing an M.Tech (by Research) at the Center of Human Computer Interaction, IIT Mandi. He holds a degree in Computer Science.
Shubham Sharma is currently pursuing an M.Tech (by Research) at the Center of Human Computer Interaction, IIT Mandi. He holds a degree in Electrical Engineering.
Sarthak Srivastava is currently pursuing an M.Tech (by Research) at the Centre for Human-Computer
Interaction, IIT Mandi. He holds a degree in computer science and engineering from IMS Engineering College,
Ghaziabad. He has a strong foundation in large language models (LLMs) and machine learning. His skills
include text generation, fine-tuning models, model evaluation, and the use of embeddings and tokenizers. He
is proficient in tools such as Hugging Face's datasets, RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation), Langchain, and
other machine learning frameworks..
Ritik Sharma is currently pursuing an M.Tech (by Research) at the Indian Knowledge System and Mental Health
Applications Centre, IIT Mandi. He holds a degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from
Jawaharlal Nehru Govt. Engg. College Sundernagar. He is working as Project Associate-I on the project titled
"Non Invasive Glucometer for diabetes detection using Breath". He is proficient in signal processing, data
science, machine learning and deep learning.
Formerly a B.Tech Data Science and Engineering student at IIT Mandi, Arjun has developed a strong foundation in Extended Reality (XR), with expertise in Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality. While his research papers are currently focused on Virtual Reality, he has growing interests and foundational knowledge in Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly in Deep Learning and Generative AI. He is experienced in using the Unity Engine for XR development and the TensorFlow framework for AI applications. Arjun is also proficient in programming languages such as Python and C#, further supporting his work in these cutting-edge fields. He is passionate about exploring innovative applications in XR and AI, aiming to contribute to the intersection of technology and human interaction.
Office: ACS Lab and CHCI Centre, IIT Mandi E-mail: arjunmehrascorpio[at]gmail[dot]com, S24113[at] students[dot] iitmandi[dot]ac[dot]in Phone: +91-8909966685
Priya Sharma, B.Tech M.Tech(by Research) Student
Priya Sharma is currently pursuing an M.Tech (by Research) at the School Of Computing and Electric Engineering (SCEE), IIT Mandi. She holds a degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from
Jawaharlal Nehru Govt. Engg. College Sundernagar. She is proficient in signal processing, data
science, machine learning and deep learning.
