IIT Roorkee Successfully Hosts SocProS 2025 - Advancing AI for Viksit Bharat

Roorkee, Uttarakhand, March 8, 2025: The Department of Applied Mathematics and Scientific Computing, Saharanpur Campus, IIT Roorkee, in collaboration with Liverpool Hope University, UK, successfully organized the 13th International Conference on Soft Computing for Problem Solving (SocProS 2025). Themed “Artificial Intelligence for Viksit Bharat,” the conference provided a platform for leading experts, researchers, and industry professionals to deliberate on advancements in Artificial Intelligence, Soft Computing, and Optimization.

The 13th International Conference on Soft Computing for Problem Solving (SocProS 2025) featured an esteemed lineup of distinguished plenary speakers, including Prof. Andries Engelbrecht from Stellenbosch University, South Africa; Prof. Christian Blum from the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, Spanish National Research Council, Spain; Prof. RNDr. Vaclav Snasel, Rector of VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, Czech Republic; Prof. David L. Blunck from Oregon State University, USA; and Prof. Xin Yao from the School of Data Science, Lingnan University, Hong Kong. Additionally, the conference hosted renowned invited speakers such as Prof. Ritu Gupta from Curtin University, Australia; Prof. Ajit Kumar Verma from the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway; and Prof. Ritu Shandilya from Mount Mercy University, USA, who shared their insights on AI applications and computational intelligence.

The conference featured 170 research presentations, with selected papers recommended for publication by Springer. Experts discussed various AI advancements, including how neural networks can continuously learn and improve without forgetting past knowledge. They explored search trajectory visualization in metaheuristics, which helps AI find the best possible solutions efficiently by visualizing its decision-making path. Trustworthy AI was another key topic, focusing on making AI systems more reliable and ethical. Discussions also covered AI-driven sports analytics, where AI is used to analyze player performance and strategy, and computational intelligence in software development, which helps create smarter, more efficient software. Additionally, researchers highlighted AI-enabled digital health systems that use AI to improve medical diagnosis, treatment, and patient care.

The inaugural session featured Prof. Durgesh Pant, Director General, UCOST, as the Chief Guest, and Shri Rajshekhar Joshi, Vice Chairman, SETU Ayog, Uttarakhand, as the Guest of Honour, who delivered insightful addresses on the transformative potential of AI. Prof. A.K. Sharma, Dean of Faculty Affairs, IIT Roorkee, and Prof. K.K. Pant, Director, IIT Roorkee, extended their best wishes for the success of the conference. Prof. Pant said, " At IIT Roorkee, we are dedicated to fostering innovation in Artificial Intelligence and Soft Computing. SocProS 2025 has brought together global experts to explore AI’s transformative role across industries, reinforcing our commitment to technological progress and a self-reliant India. We look forward to expanding our research collaborations to drive impactful AI solutions."

The event concluded with a prize distribution and valedictory function, where Shri D.K. Bansal, Director, Bansal Technocrat Pvt. Ltd., presented awards to outstanding researchers. The Best Paper Award was shared by Mohit Jagwani & Sivakumar Rajagopal from VIT Vellore and Vanshika Pundir, Palak Bhandari & Vidit Kumar from Graphic Era University. The Best Student paper was awarded to Chitra Jain, Aryan Kaushik, Abhishek Saini, Maitri Vashistha, Kamal Kumar Gola from COER University, Roorkee. Best Application Paper Award was given to Vedant Deshmukh, Yash Vaskar, Ujwala Bharambe, from University of Mumbai and Dr. Pushkar Ingle from Fortis Hospital. The Kusum Deep Best PhD Thesis Award was awarded to Jeena Thomas from IIIT Kottayam.

The SocProS 2025 team acknowledges the support of ANRF, DRDO, Liverpool Hope University, UK, and Springer for their contributions in making the conference a success.

IIT Roorkee remains steadfast in its mission to advance AI, Data Science, Soft Computing, and Optimization, forging global collaborations that propel India’s technological leadership.