Programme
Schedule
Pre-conference workshops (Day 0, offline) on 27 January, followed by the three-day conference: Day 1 online on 28 January, with the hackathon finale, and Days 2 and 3 offline at Parul University, Vadodara, on 29–30 January.
- 28–30 January 2027
- Hybrid mode
At a glance
Three-day conference programme.
The full session-by-session programme is published below. This is a tentative schedule and may be revised; for questions, write to programme@blaim.co.in.
Pre-conference & Day 1
Details-
Day 0 · Offline
Pre-Conference Workshops
Five interdisciplinary workshops: evidence-based policing, AI and neuroscience, positive criminology, victim-centred restorative justice, and local safety and solution-oriented policing.
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Day 1 · Hybrid
Global Knowledge Exchange
Opening ceremony, inaugural keynote, Plenary I on the science of well-being, Plenary II on media, crime and society, and the hackathon finale with prize distribution.
Pre-conference workshops (offline) and Day 1 (hybrid)
Hackathon @ BLAIM 2.0: a team-based innovation sprint where student scholars build solutions at the intersection of mindfulness, behavioural science, AI, and legal innovation, aligned with the conference's five themes. Registration → problem framing & team formation → development & mentoring → finale pitching on Day 1 (28 January 2027) → awards during the valedictory session.
Conference
Details-
Day 2 · Offline
Law, Leadership and Justice
Keynote and special address, Plenary III on policing and community safety, parallel panels on criminal justice reform, human development and behavioural insights, roundtable and thematic sessions, and a cultural evening.
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Day 3 · Offline
AI, Algorithms and Accountability
Keynote and special address, plenaries on environmental justice and policy-to-practice, panels on ancient wisdom and intelligent technologies, parallel thematic sessions across all themes, and the valedictory session.
BLAIM 2.0 main conference (offline), Parul University
Detailed programme
Session by session.
Tentative schedule for BLAIM 2.0 — 27 January 2027 (pre-conference workshop) and the main conference, 28–30 January 2027. All timings are indicative and subject to change.
Day 0 Pre-conference Workshops
27 January 2027 · Offline
Workshop I: Evidence-Based Policing Masterclass — From Problem Definition to Evaluation Design
Prof. Gorazd Meško · Dr. Rok Hacin
Tea break
Workshop II: Decoding Human Behaviour — Where Artificial Intelligence Meets Neuroscience
Prof. Dr. Jemal H. Abawajy · Dr. Mohammad Nami
Lunch break
Workshop III: Positive Criminology in Practice — Resilience, Recovery and Behavioural Transformation
Dr. Matt Bowden · Prof. Dr. Robert Peacock
Workshop IV: Victim-Centred Justice and Restorative Response Lab
Prof. Beulah Shekhar · Prof. Daniel Briggs
Tea break
Workshop V: Local Safety and Solution-Oriented Policing Lab
Prof. Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera · Dr. Katja Eman
Day 1 Global Knowledge Exchange
28 January 2027 · Hybrid
Opening Ceremony — Lamp Lighting & Saraswati Vandana
- Introduction of Conference — Prof. (Dr.) Richa Mishra, Director, SCOPE
- Welcome Address — Prof. (Dr.) K.S. Madhusoodanan, Provost, Parul University
- Special Remarks — Dr. Geetika Patel, Vice President, Parul University
- Felicitation of Guests — Dr. Devanshu Patel, President, Parul University
- Special Address — Shri Narasimha N. Komar (IPS), Commissioner of Police, Vadodara City
Inaugural Keynote
Shri Vishwa Bhushan Mishra — President, UP PCS Officers' Association
Tea break
Plenary I: The Science of Well-being — Neuroscience, Mental Health and Innovations in Healthcare (Hybrid)
Moderator: Dr. Mukul Jain · 30 minutes each
- Dr. Iype Cheriyan (Director of Neurosciences, Parul Institute of Medical Sciences & Research): “Beyond the Brain — Neuroscience, Consciousness and the Future of Mental Well-being” (Offline)
- Dr. Mitul Patel (Consultant Medical Microbiologist, Birmingham Women's & Children's NHS Foundation Trust, UK): “Beyond Infection — The Gut–Brain–Immune Connection and Its Implications for Mental Health” (Online)
Plenary II: Media, Crime and Society — Shaping Public Perceptions and Responsible Digital Futures (Hybrid)
Moderator: Dr. Nil Patil · 30 minutes each
- Dr. Ajay Umat (Group Editor, Ahmedabad Mirror and NavGujarat Samay, India): “Media, Misinformation and Public Trust — Responsible Journalism in the Digital Age” (Offline)
- Prof. Dr. Jyoti Belur (Professor, Department of Security and Crime Science, University College London, UK): “Crime, Media and Public Perception — Understanding Fear, Risk and Community Safety in the Digital Age” (Online)
Lunch break
Hackathon Finale — Final Presentation of Selected Teams
Final presentation of six selected teams across the five conference themes and 50 problem statements, followed by the hackathon prize distribution.
Concluding the First Day of Conference
Day 2 Law, Leadership and Justice
29 January 2027 · Offline
Day 2 Keynote & Special Address
- Keynote — Dr. Vineet Kapoor, Deputy Inspector General of Police, State Police HQ, Bhopal
- Special Address — Dr. Praveen Patil (Bharat Ratna Dr. Radha Krishnan Gold Medal Award; General Manager, Heritage Foods Ltd.)
Tea break
Plenary III: Beyond Punishment — Rethinking Policing, Justice and Community Safety for a Human-Centred Future (Offline)
Moderator: Dr. Sheetal Thomas
- Shri Narasimha N. Komar (IPS), Commissioner of Police, Vadodara City
- Prof. Dr. Gorazd Meško, University of Maribor, Slovenia
- Prof. Dr. Beulah Shekhar, Parul University
- Prof. Dr. Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera, De Montfort University, UK
- Dr. Matt Bowden, Technological University of Dublin, Ireland
Panel I
Rethinking Criminal Justice — Institutional Trust, Police Accountability and Evidence-Based Reforms (Hybrid)
Moderator: Dr. Noble George · 30 minutes each
- Dr. Rok Hacin (University of Maribor, Slovenia): “Trust, Legitimacy and Institutional Accountability” (Offline)
- Dr. Eleanor Neyroud (University of Cambridge, UK): “Evidence-Based Policing and Criminal Justice Reform” (Online)
Panel II
Understanding Human Development — Integrating Traditional Healthcare, Psychology and Behavioural Science (Hybrid)
Moderator: Dr. Vijendra Nath Pathak
- Dr. Swapnil Chandrakant Raskar (Parul Institute of Ayurveda): “Ayurveda and Child Development” (Offline)
- Dr. Reshmi Gupta (IIT Bombay, India): “The Psychology of Well-being” (Online)
Lunch break
Panel III: Transforming Institutions through Behavioural Insights (Online)
Moderator: Prof. (Dr.) Debarati Halder
- Dr. Dawn Beichner Thomas (Illinois State University, USA): “Gender, Victimisation and Justice — Building Inclusive and Victim-Centred Criminal Justice Institutions”
- Prof. Layla Skinns (University of Sheffield, UK): “Police Custody, Procedural Justice and Human Dignity”
- Dr. Sanja Kutnjak Ivkovich (Michigan State University, USA): “Police Integrity, Organisational Culture and Accountability”
Roundtable / Press release
Cross-theme Roundtable Discussion
Themes I (Behaviour, Health and Well-being), II (Law, Leadership and Justice), IV (Inclusion, Innovation and Impact) and V (Media, Mindfulness and Meaningful Futures), with external and internal experts including Prof. Dr. Gorazd Meško, Prof. Dr. Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera, Prof. Dr. Jemal H. Abawajy, Prof. Dr. Beulah Shekhar, Prof. Dr. Daniel Briggs, Dr. Matt Bowden, Dr. Rok Hacin, Dr. Katja Eman and senior Parul University faculty.
Parallel Thematic Sessions
Behaviour, Health and Well-being
- Mental Health, Psychological Resilience and Holistic Well-being
- Neuroscience, Cognition and Emerging Approaches to Mental Health
- Digital Lifestyles, Behavioural Patterns and Emerging Health Challenges
- Integrative Healthcare, Traditional Medicine and Evidence-Based Therapeutic Innovations
- Social Relationships, Emotional Intelligence and Adaptive Coping
Tea break
Concluding the Second Day of Conference · Cultural Evening
Day 3 AI, Algorithms and Accountability
30 January 2027 · Offline
Advancing Inclusive Innovation and Sustainable Human-Centred Futures
Day 3 Keynote & Special Address
- Keynote — Shri Ujjwal Deo Rao Nikam (Padma Shri; Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha)
- Special Address — Prof. Dr. Jemal H. Abawajy, Deakin University, Australia
Tea break
Plenary IV
Environmental Justice and Social Transformation — Building Safer and Sustainable Futures (Offline)
Moderator: Dr. Prashant Ch · 30 minutes each
- Prof. Dr. Daniel Briggs (Northumbria University, UK): “Crime, Inequality and Social Change”
- Dr. Katja Eman (University of Maribor, Slovenia): “Green Criminology and Environmental Justice”
Plenary V
From Policy to Practice — Driving Innovation, Institutional Transformation and Sustainable Development (Hybrid)
Moderator: Dr. Nidhi Nalwaya · 30 minutes each
- Prof. Amit Garg (IIM Ahmedabad, India): “Innovating Public Policy — ESG, Climate Governance and Sustainable Development” (Online)
- Dr. Nidhi Singh (Parul University): “Research, Policy and Innovation — Bridging Academia and Institutions for Societal Impact” (Offline)
Panel IV
Beyond Time — Ancient Indian Wisdom, Cosmic Perspectives and the Future of Humanity (Hybrid)
Moderator: Dr. Prashant Tiwari
- Prof. Ajay Chaturvedi — Scholar of Time (Kāla), Civilisational Thinker, Strategy Consultant
- Shri Abhigya Anand — Founder-Director, Praajna Jyotisha Institute for Astrological Research
Panel V
Intelligent Technologies and Responsible Innovation (Hybrid)
Moderator: Dr. Tejal Barkhade
- Prof. Veeky Baths (BITS, Goa, India): “AI at the Frontiers of Biological Sciences”
- Prof. Dr. Yogendra Kumar Mishra (University of Southern Denmark): “Beyond Algorithms — Smart Materials, Intelligent Sensors and Responsible Technological Innovation”
Lunch break
Parallel Thematic Sessions
AI, Algorithms and Accountability
- Artificial Intelligence, Ethics and Responsible Technological Innovation
- Machine Learning, Intelligent Systems and Human-Centred Applications
- Algorithmic Governance, Digital Rights, Privacy and Accountability
- AI-Driven Transformations in Healthcare, Education and Employment
- Emerging Technologies, Cyber-security and Sustainable Digital Innovation
Parallel Thematic Sessions
Inclusion, Innovation and Impact
- Social Inclusion, Equity, Diversity and Sustainable Development
- Youth-Led Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Social Transformation
- Inclusive Education, Skills Development and Economic Empowerment
- Environmental Sustainability, Climate Justice and Community Resilience
- Public Policy, Social Innovation and Global Partnerships for Sustainable Development
Parallel Thematic Sessions
Media, Mindfulness and Meaningful Futures
- Digital Media, Identity and Contemporary Youth Culture
- Mindfulness, Emotional Awareness and Digital Well-being
- Media Literacy, Misinformation and Responsible Communication
- Media, Crime, Justice and Public Perceptions of Social Issues
- Ethical Living, Sustainable Lifestyles and Future Aspirations
Parallel Thematic Sessions
Law, Leadership and Justice
- Youth Leadership, Governance and Democratic Participation
- Human Rights, Social Justice and Inclusive Legal Frameworks
- Crime Prevention, Evidence-Based Policing and Community Safety
- Criminal Justice Reforms, Victimology and Restorative Justice
- Cybercrime, Digital Justice and Emerging Challenges in Criminal Justice Systems
Tea break
Valedictory Session
Format
What the conference days hold.
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01
International keynote addresses
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02
Expert panel discussions
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03
Multidisciplinary research presentations
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04
Interactive workshops & innovation hackathon
Sessions are organised around the five conference themes, in hybrid mode, with opportunities for global research networking.
Before the event
Key deadlines.
- Abstract submission deadline
- Abstract acceptance notification
- Full paper submission
- Early bird registration deadline
- Late bird registration deadline
28–30 January 2027
Join BLAIM 2.0 at Parul University, Vadodara.
“Gen Z for Sustainable, Just and Human-Centred Futures”