A university is, at its heart, a wager on the future. It asks for the courage to believe that the world can be better, and that the young people we teach will make it so. At Plaksha, we placed such a wager. We imagined a university where technology is not an end in itself, but a way to think, to question, and to act. Four years ago, this was only a blueprint and a promise. With our first batch graduating, the idea has become visible in their work, their character, and their ambi- tions. The journey we design for our students is deliberate. It begins with a fresh start, where old measures of success fall away. It asks NEWSLETTER them to explore before they choose, to collaborate before they compete, to hold depth in one hand and breadth in the other. It invites them to learn by building, by engag- ing with research, by starting companies, by reaching beyond our campus to the world. None of this happens without the faculty who guide students to traverse paths less trav- elled, or without the quiet, persistent work of building a university that dares to reimagine the future. I have watched these young people stretch. They have taken risks, changed their minds, failed, and begun again. They have learned that the future is not given to them; it is shaped by them. The pages of this newsletter carry the under- graduate four-year journey at Plaksha. They show how a new kind of engineer – rooted in India, global in outlook, bold enough to imagine solutions where others see walls – is nurtured. We are reimagining what a university can be, and what it must be, for the world that is coming. JAN 15 - DEC 15, 2025 VOL 03 - ISSUE 02 Prof Rudra Pratap Founding Vice Chancellor Plaksha University Christened ‘1729', after Ramanujan - Hardy number, the Plaksha newsletter is a window into our thriving, interconnected and learner centered environment where Plakshans look beyond the obvious, just like Srinivas Ramanujan did with the seemingly dull number ‘1729'. Through this newsletter we share the contribution of each member of our vibrant community of learners, researchers, leaders, innovators and problem solvers to reimagine technology education. 01 LEARNING REIMAGINED THE UNDERGRADUATE JOURNEY AT PLAKSHA

Admissions at Plaksha are not just about selecting students – they are about shaping a vibrant, mission-driven community. Crafting the class is the first and most vital step we take each year. It is both a privilege and a responsibility to build a learning ecosystem that is inclusive, bold and future-ready. We believe that students’ potential cannot be measured by marks alone. That is why our admissions process looks beyond traditional criteria and standardized tests. We seek students who are academically strong, but also curious, bold and committed to creating impact in the real world. Students who think differently, challenge the status quo, and bring diverse perspectives to the table, help shape our learning community. This philosophy has helped us build cohorts that are as dynamic as they are diverse. Our students come from across India and the world, representing a rich tapestry of backgrounds, experiences and aspirations. From young changemakers and tech tinkerers to artists, entrepreneurs and community leaders – each student adds a unique voice to the Plaksha story. By moving away from a one- size-fits-all approach, we are able to uncover hidden potential and foster a culture of collaboration, empathy and innovation. The result is a class that is not only academically strong but also deeply aligned with our vision of building a better future through technology and leadership. Kanchi Khanna Senior Director, Admissions Plaksha University 02 02 Joining Plaksha: A class crafted with intention Building a diverse, mission-driven cohort that will reimagine technology education. 14.8% First generation learners 59% From tier 2/3/4 towns BTech students on scholarship & financial aid 32% Women students 69% *Across all BTech cohorts as of Oct ’25 Foreword | Freshmore Curriculum | Selecting a Major | Electives & Minors | Research Mindset | Entrepreneurship Mindset | Beyond the Classroom | Beyond Plaksha | ConfAI 2025 THE UNDERGRADUATE JOURNEY AT PLAKSHA

PEDAGOGY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY The Freshmore curriculum at Plaksha is a carefully designed three-semester foundation that integrates breadth with rigor. It postpones early specialization and equips every student with intellectual agility, critical thinking and the ability to work across disciplines. Students first acquire strong fundamentals across sciences, mathematics, computation and humanities while also experiencing design, innovation and real-world problem solving. In the sciences, courses such as Foundations of Physical World build quantitative reasoning by linking mechanics, thermodynamics, and modern physics to engineering applications. Nature's Machines treats biology as a design template, exploring physiology, biomimicry, and cellular systems through laboratory engagement. Equally rigorous are the mathematics and computation offerings, which establish essential fluency in calculus, statistics, linear algebra, programming, and data structures. Complementing these are courses like Fundamentals of Economics, which introduce analytical models of markets, incentives and decision-making, and Design and Innovation, which cultivates creativity and systematic problem-solving through design thinking. Humanities courses such as Integrated Communication for Engineering and Reimagining Technology and Society add depth by focusing on effective communication, ethical reasoning and societal contexts of technology. The curriculum also emphasizes holistic development through one-credit modules: Yoga and Sports for physical well-being, Universal Human Values for reflective growth, and Introduction to the World of AI for an early appreciation of emerging technologies. Together, these courses ensure that students not only gain technical literacy but also social awareness, self-discipline and a mindset of lifelong learning. 03 Dr Shashikant Pawar Assistant Professor Plaksha University Rigorous fundamentals across disciplines, with hands-on design and research from day one. The first three semesters: Building foundations before choosing a major Pedagogically, Freshmore stresses problem- based learning, laboratories and project work, culminating in Innovation and Grand Challenge (ILGC) Studio where interdisciplinary teams address open-ended societal problems through prototyping and iteration. Foreword | Joining Plaksha | Selecting a Major | Electives & Minors | Research Mindset | Entrepreneurship Mindset Beyond the Classroom | Beyond Plaksha | ConfAI 2025 Enabling students to choose Kaustubh Singh (BTech Class of 2025) recalls Freshmore as ‘intriguing and comforting’ with projects on wind turbines and robot localization sharpening both technical skills and collaborative problem-solving. Jia Bhargava (BTech Class of 2026) credits Freshmore for her transition from computer science to robotics, as rigorous mathematics and hands-on Intelligent Machines projects clarified her academic path. THE UNDERGRADUATE JOURNEY AT PLAKSHA

At Plaksha, students do not choose a major on day one – they grow into it. This is intentional. We believe that the complex problems of the 21st century cannot be solved from within the narrow silos of 20th-century education. And today, that belief is no longer just an idea – it is something we see reflected in our students’ journeys. It starts with freedom. For the first three semesters, students are encouraged to explore and stay curious. The curriculum is designed to give them time, space and perspective before choosing a major. During this phase, every student builds a strong foundation: challenging courses in math, computing, design and the humanities. Alongside this, they get hands-on exposure to all four majors – Biological Systems Engineering (BSE), Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence (CSAI), Data Science, Economics & Business (DSEB) and Robotics & Autonomous Systems (RAS). This mix of breadth and depth means that when it is time to decide, students do so with clarity and confidence. Choosing a major at Plaksha is not about picking a label. It is about aligning with a purpose and building the mindset to take on real-world challenges. Students are not just thinking about what job they will get; they are asking what kind of future they want to help shape. That is why our majors do not look like traditional programs. They are future-oriented and interdisciplinary, combining technical rigor with systems thinking, design and ethical context. They are flexible and evolving – built to respond to the pace of change around us. Here, students do not just study AI, they learn to design responsible, human-centered systems (CSAI) that drive impact in policy, health and society (DSEB). They go beyond code to connect data with ethical decision-making, economic thinking and real-world complexity. In RAS, they design intelligent robots and autonomous systems that navigate uncertainty and serve human needs safely. In BSE, biology becomes a toolkit – they engineer diagnostics, model epidemics and prototype health and sustainability solutions. Each major blends technical depth with purpose, preparing students to solve problems that do not yet have a playbook. And it is not just what we teach, but how we teach. Learning at Plaksha is hands-on and active, with real industry problems, collaborative labs and a strong push toward innovation. The result – graduates who are not only job- ready, but ready to lead, to build and to make a difference in areas the world is still figuring out. Dr Monika Sharma Program Chair, Biological Systems Engineering Associate Professor Plaksha University 04 A defining choice: Selecting a major after eighteen months of exploration Students select from future-oriented, interdisciplinary programs aligned with purpose, not just placement. Foreword | Joining Plaksha | Freshmore Curriculum | Electives & Minors | Research Mindset | Entrepreneurship Mindset Beyond the Classroom | Beyond Plaksha | ConfAI 2025 THE UNDERGRADUATE JOURNEY AT PLAKSHA

PEDAGOGY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY Now that students have chosen a major, electives and minors can support exploration of students in areas and sources of knowledge different from their major’s core courses. Program electives can be employed in one of two ways. First, students can deepen their knowledge of a core area. For example, in the DSEB degree an elective course on Applied Econometrics can deepen the knowledge of students in Econometrics by applying theoretical concepts of unbiasedness, consistency and causality to the real-world empirical evidence from published papers. Econometrics is a fifth semester core course that is a pre-requisite for students to take the Applied Econometrics course in the seventh semester. Similarly, students can take Financial Econometrics in their seventh semester if they have taken a Time Series course in their sixth semester. Many of the program electives can be taken in their fourth semester, such as Environmental Economics. However, the seventh semester affords the most room for taking electives for students since there are no core courses that are offered after the sixth semester. Second, students can take program electives to satisfy their innate curiosity about a particular subject. I have found a lot of joy teaching students the program elective – Personnel Economics. This course deals with the economics of organizations and personnel management. It is a technical introduction to the world of business administration, human resources and how employers should think rationally about wage-setting, how many employees to hire, whom to hire (level of skills), and the processes to set up to manage human resources (policies around training, talent assessment, evaluation, promotion and attrition). The students then work in groups to carry out a research project either analyzing an existing ‘workplace’ data set or building their own from scratch. Many students who took the elective wanted to explore without deepening their knowledge of data science or economics. Such a course is helpful in business settings while working as a people manager in human resources organizations, or when setting up one’s own firm. Minors let students experiment with adjacent fields or entirely different lenses – like a CSAI major exploring the strategic aspects of innovation, marketing and finance through a Minor in Entrepreneurship. A student in the entrepreneurship minor may discover a passion for product-market fit, taking courses, such as, Design Thinking for Entrepreneurs, Technology Product Development and Startup Market Lab, to prototype an app, pitch to judges, and take it to market with industry mentors many including Plaksha founders. The Entrepreneurship minor also exposes our students to faculty from UC Berkeley, helping them attain a global perspective. Thus, electives and minors offer students a powerful way to deepen understanding, satisfy curiosity and connect classroom learning to real- world challenges. Program Chair, Data Science, Economics & Business Chair Professor of Economics Plaksha University Prof Prakarsh Singh 05 Students either specialize further in their domain or venture into adjacent fields like entrepreneurship and design. Years two through four: Deepening and broadening through electives and minors Foreword | Joining Plaksha | Freshmore Curriculum | Selecting a Major | Research Mindset | Entrepreneurship Mindset Beyond the Classroom | Beyond Plaksha | ConfAI 2025 THE UNDERGRADUATE JOURNEY AT PLAKSHA

PEDAGOGY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY Throughout HTI, students gather and analyze their own data, building confidence in turning research into prototypes that address real- world challenges, and often extending them to publish at reputed conferences. For example, the project ‘AdaptAI’ built an emotional recognition platform to provide mental health nudges for information workers under stress, while another studied strategies to mitigate the impact of short-form digital content on our memory recall. Paired with complementary electives and minors, it gives students the vision and tools to shape a world where humans and technology thrive side by side. 06 Electives that expand possibilities The Human Technology Interaction (HTI) elective – often chosen by senior-year undergraduate students – with hands-on machine learning and design thinking experience bridges the growing gap between humans and the technology woven into our daily lives. 1 2 3 In the first course module, students explore ‘Human Factors’ and ‘Ergonomics’, analyzing how posture, movement and sensory limitations shape our technology experiences. They examine daily pain points, like poorly designed alerts or uncomfortable workspaces, and learn to create solutions that support physical and cognitive well-being. The second module introduces ‘Affective Computing’, where students study how biosignals – heart-rate variability, facial expressions and pupil dilation – reveal our mental and emotional states. With this, students learn to adapt technological systems so that they can respond in more humanlike ways. In the final module, HTI challenges students to rethink ‘Human-AI Interaction’. How can AI boost our productivity, creativity and fitness in authentic ways? By responding to how we feel while we navigate our daily tasks, AI becomes a quiet companion, offering gentle nudges at just the right moment. Foreword | Joining Plaksha | Freshmore Curriculum | Selecting a Major | Research Mindset | Entrepreneurship Mindset Beyond the Classroom | Beyond Plaksha | ConfAI 2025 THE UNDERGRADUATE JOURNEY AT PLAKSHA While traditional engineering courses focus on building more technical systems, HTI flips the lens, asking: ‘How can technology better understand, support, and adapt to us?’ “ Dr Siddharth Assistant Professor, Plaksha University

PEDAGOGY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY The quote by Malcolm Forbes, “Diversity: The art of thinking independently together” beautifully captures the essence of interdisciplinarity in education. At Plaksha, students are encouraged to think across disciplines from day one, not only through their coursework but also through early and immersive research experiences. Interdisciplinarity is a core pillar at Plaksha, clearly reflected in the curriculum, lab infrastructure and research centers. This emphasis on cross-domain learning nurtures a research mindset by prompting students to connect concepts across different subjects and specializations. Students get their first structured experience in research through the ILGC course, where they select a real-world problem they care about and work through the entire research cycle – understanding the context, designing a solution, prototyping it and validating it. ILGC runs from the first through the sixth semester and exposes students to academic research practices, including literature reviews, hypothesis formulation, iterative testing, and field validation. An equally valuable aspect of ILGC is the early exposure to mentor-mentee relationships, which play a key role in shaping a research journey. Many students have extended their ILGC projects into publishable research or used them as a springboard for competing at international forums. Plaksha’s coursework design further fuels undergraduate research. Course projects offer hands-on opportunities for deep dives into emerging fields, and in many cases, students have pursued these projects over multiple semesters, leading to research papers at national and international conferences. These early experiences help students build the persistence, curiosity and discipline required for academic inquiry. Several students have gone on to excel at prestigious research internships, both in India and abroad. Plaksha’s approach to fostering research is not an add-on – it is woven into the fabric of its pedagogy. By creating a culture where exploration, experimentation and collaboration thrive, the university is shaping future researchers who are bold, curious and driven to solve meaningful problems. Dr Sandeep Manjanna Assistant Professor Plaksha University 07 Through ILGC projects, course work, and faculty mentorship, students engage in publishable research early. Semester one onwards: Cultivating a research mindset Foreword | Joining Plaksha | Freshmore Curriculum | Selecting a Major | Electives & Minors | Entrepreneurship Mindset Beyond the Classroom | Beyond Plaksha | ConfAI 2025 THE UNDERGRADUATE JOURNEY AT PLAKSHA

PEDAGOGY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY The entrepreneurial journey at Plaksha is not a side path, it is a defining milestone in every student’s experience. From day one, students are encouraged to think like builders. Through hands-on coursework, exposure to real-world challenges, and interdisciplinary collaboration, they begin to see problems as opportunities and ideas as starting points. This mindset to experiment, take initiative, and persist through uncertainty is seeded early and grows steadily over the four years. The InfoEdge Center for Entrepreneurship (CfE) plays a central role in nurturing these journeys. It brings together mentors, startup grants, immersive programs, and student-led platforms like the E-Cell and Aeternum E-Summit, which spark curiosity and build confidence. The Center’s approach is not about producing entrepreneurs on demand but about cultivating the habits of entrepreneurial thinking across tech, design, research and social impact. Students have been slowly and steadily making a mark. Marbles Health, started by two Plaksha alumni, developed a brain-stimulation device and got an opportunity to present it to the Prime Minister, and received seed funding from investors like Whiteboard Capital and Capital 2B. In addition, two ventures by undergraduate students, Pinewheel Labs and Thinklude reflect technical depth as well as a desire to make a difference. While the former is gaining national recognition in cybersecurity, the latter is transforming how young learners engage with science and tech. Our grant-giving capacity, supporting faculty ventures, and forming partnerships expose students to the startup world beyond campus. It encourages students to tinker in labs, test ideas in the real world, and connect their classroom learning with bold, creative action. We want every student to cross this milestone with the confidence that they can imagine, create and lead. Entrepreneurship at Plaksha is a way of thinking, a way of learning, and for many, a way of becoming. Chief Human Resources Officer Plaksha University Nimrata Kapoor 08 Throughout four years: Building an entrepreneurial mindset From ideation workshops to funded ventures, students learn to build, prototype and lead. Foreword | Joining Plaksha | Freshmore Curriculum | Selecting a Major | Electives & Minors| Research Mindset Beyond the Classroom | Beyond Plaksha | ConfAI 2025 THE UNDERGRADUATE JOURNEY AT PLAKSHA

PEDAGOGY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY Student wellbeing – mental, emotional and physical – is an integral part of the student journey. It begins as students initiate their academic journey, with a three-week orientation program designed to help them settle in, make friends and feel at home. This immersive experience runs alongside classes and includes community-building activities, mentorship sessions and campus explorations that ease the transition and foster early connections. The curated cohort model ensures that students enter a supportive peer network from day one, promoting collaboration, empathy and a strong sense of belonging both inside and outside the classroom. Our 25 student-led clubs, ranging from music and dance to robotics, sustainability and debate, provide vibrant platforms for students to pursue their passions and develop leadership skills. Signature events like Fitoor (cultural fest), Eklavya (sports fest), and HackPlaksha (annual hackathon) are completely student-driven and bring together the entire community in celebration of creativity, innovation and teamwork. To further student growth and wellbeing, a series of Life Skills courses equip students with practical tools for personal and interpersonal success. Each course is experiential and designed to build self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and healthy habits for long-term success. Sessions led by mental health professionals focus on understanding stress, managing emotions and building help-seeking behavior. They also introduce students to the value of counseling and the support systems available to them on campus. Through collective efforts by faculty, staff and students, the campus culture is rooted in care, connection and purpose – where every student is empowered to thrive holistically. Karan Singh Associate Director, Student Life Plaksha University 09 Through clubs, festivals, life-skills courses and peer networks, students develop leadership and emotional intelligence Beyond the classroom: Becoming confident, self-aware individuals Wellbeing follows a two-pronged approach that holds building preventive skills to be as important as corrective interventions. The journey begins right from student orientation, through a discussion about transitions – what they hope for, fear and how change feels. This forms the base for ongoing self-reflection. Dr Shalini Sharma Counselling Psychologist & Therapist Plaksha University Foreword | Joining Plaksha | Freshmore Curriculum | Selecting a Major | Electives & Minors | Research Mindset Entrepreneurship Mindset | Beyond Plaksha | ConfAI 2025 THE UNDERGRADUATE JOURNEY AT PLAKSHA

PEDAGOGY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY Students are prepared not only for their first job but for lifelong career growth. The interdisciplinary curriculum with a strong focus on experiential learning teaches students to be innovative, creative, collaborative and entrepreneurial, and helps develop in them a mindset for problem solving and critical thinking. During their four years at Plaksha, students work on projects on real-world problem statements, do short-term and long- term internships, work in teams, meet industry leaders and domain experts in curated masterclasses and guest sessions. These factors all contribute to their being industry-ready. Apart from technical skills, students are taught personality development skills, such as the art of effective communication, networking and the ability to project an executive presence. Final year students are assigned mentors who are alumni or industry professionals. Mentors become the ‘friend, philosopher, guide’ to students, providing valued career advice and tailored support which enables their young minds to grow in confidence and decide on career choices. We believe that holistic development along with lessons learnt in the classroom enables our students to better plan their transition from academic environment to industry and navigate their way effectively in a workplace which is seeing disruptions led by the adoption of generative AI. We have students across different majors moving away from traditional jobs which were associated with an engineering education like software development or coding to roles such as AI-ML engineers, data scientists, data analysts, market analysts, investment associates, consultants, strategy, founder’s office, etc. A strong entrepreneurial mindset is evident in several students who choose working with early-stage startups or on their own business ideas over a career in established legacy companies. Students are supported by The Office of Corporate Partnerships and Careers at Plaksha. Each student’s skillsets and career aspirations are understood and they are guided on their career choices. The student’s association does not end with stellar career outcomes in different spheres such as corporate roles, research, higher education or entrepreneurial ventures. They continue to contribute as alumni. Srabani Ghosh Director, Office of Corporate Partnerships & Careers Plaksha University 10 Mentorship, industry engagement and career guidance prepare graduates for diverse pathways – corporate, research, entrepreneurship or higher education Beyond Plaksha: Preparing for a life of impact Foreword | Joining Plaksha | Freshmore Curriculum | Selecting a Major | Electives & Minors | Research Mindset Entrepreneurship Mindset | Beyond the Classroom | ConfAI 2025 THE UNDERGRADUATE JOURNEY AT PLAKSHA Plaksha’s Founding Class of 2025 graduated on August 9, putting on their caps and glistening blue garments as a testimony to their passion to innovate and countless hours of learning and hard work. Graduates have secured research positions in top global academic institutions, in promising industry roles, and the entrepreneurial road. At this landmark event for the university, Dr V Narayanan, Chairman, ISRO & Secretary, Department of Space, was the convocation speaker and the chief guest.

PEDAGOGY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY 11 Foreword | Joining Plaksha | Freshmore Curriculum | Selecting a Major | Electives & Minors| Research Mindset | Entrepreneurship Mindset | Beyond the Classroom | Beyond Plaksha If AI researchers in India are to create lasting research impact, it must be grounded in the realities it seeks to serve. A central insight that emerged repeatedly at ConfAI 2025 was the urgent need to focus on creating and using Indian datasets. In most real-world applications, datasets developed in the US and Europe (and made publicly available) have limited relevance for Indian contexts. This was one of the key takeaways at ConfAI 2025, held successfully November 28-30 at the Plaksha campus in Mohali, under the theme 'Conversations that shape AI futures'. This 3- day academic conference brought together 11 eminent speakers from academia, industry and government, alongside high-quality student presentations and posters based on work accepted at leading international AI conferences. Several talks reinforced the importance of trust, fairness and reasoning as core challenges in AI systems. Dr Venkat Padmanabhan (Microsoft Research India (MRI)) set the tone by going beyond AI to define what would constitute impactful research. He presented examples from decades of work at MRI. Dr Mausam (IIT Delhi) focused on reasoning, while Dr Richa Singh (IIT Jodhpur) highlighted examples of bias in AI inference. Dr Sunita Sarawagi (IIT Bombay) discussed advances in structured learning, and Dr Mayur Naik (UPenn) introduced neuro-symbolic AI as a promising pathway to support reasoning in AI tools. The second major insight was on small, application-specific models that can be deployed on edge devices - mobiles, wearables, and low-cost hardware, rather than large, resource-intensive systems. These models can be trained on Indian datasets and made capable of communicating in Indian languages. Such systems can create impact in research as well as startup-led innovation. Concerns around efficiency and sustainability surfaced across multiple sessions. Dr Mayank Vatsa (IIT Jodhpur) talked about efficient unlearning, while Dr Niket Tandon (MRI) addressed memory efficiency. Dr CV Jawahar (IIIT Hyderabad) advocated for the creation of Indian datasets and associated solutions, while Dr Renu Rameshan (Vehant Technologies) described the practical challenges of deploying AI systems in the field. Debjani Ghosh (NITI Aayog) outlined ongoing government initiatives and articulated her views on areas where India must focus its efforts. A third takeaway that emerged was on the need to be extremely innovative if one is pursuing mainstream AI research, particularly Large Language Models (LLMs) as the resource gap between academia and industry is substantial. This theme surfaced during the panel discussion 'Beyond the Hype: Core Challenges in AI Research,' featuring Dr Mausam, Dr Sarawagi, and Dr Jawahar, moderated by Dr Siddharth. The conversation generated both light and heat. The conference concluded with a reflective keynote by Dr Rajesh Gupta (UC San Diego), who traced the historical evolution of technical education in the US and what needs to change with AI tools emerging as key learning aids. Equally encouraging was the quality of student participation throughout ConfAI 2025. Student talks were organized into sessions and reinforcing the promise of a new generation of engineers and researchers ready to engage with complex societal challenges. Shaping India's AI future will require not only technical excellence, but also contextual grounding, interdisciplinary thinking, and the courage to pursue research agendas that matter. ConfAI 2025: Conversations that shape AI future The 3-day academic conference sparked critical conversations that highlighted the need for Indian datasets, context-aware models, and innovative academic research to create meaningful, real-world impact. Prof M Balakrishnan Distinguished Visiting Professor Plaksha University THE UNDERGRADUATE JOURNEY AT PLAKSHA

PEDAGOGY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY In this edition of 1729, we’ve reimagined Pulli Kolam – a South Indian art form rooted in mathematics and geometry. Traditionally drawn by hand with dots and dashes, Pulli Kolam blends aesthetic beauty with creativity. Our new design celebrates our Indian heritage, integrates technology, and reflects our vision of fostering innovation. *as of Oct 2025 41 Full-time Faculty 600+ Student Body 184 Executives & Teaching Fellows 37 Research Fellows 8 Visiting Faculty 330+ Alumni Plaksha University Alpha, Sector 101, IT City Road, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Punjab 140306 12 Collaborate with Plaksha: We are keen to collaborate with faculty members and researchers from both within and outside Plaksha to leverage our collective expertise and push the boundaries of knowl- edge. Virtual tour: Explore the vibrant campus of Plaksha from the comfort of your homes. Take a virtual tour to see our state-of-the-art facilities and collaborative learning spaces. THE UNDERGRADUATE JOURNEY AT PLAKSHA The third edition of the Conference of Artificial Intelligence, ConfAI 2025 (November 28-30), at the Plaksha campus in Mohali was an academic conference that brought together eminent speakers from academia, industry and government. The panel discussion ‘Beyond the Hype: Core Challenges in AI Research,’ featured Dr Mausam (IIT Delhi), Dr Sunita Sarawagi (IIT Bombay) and Dr CV Jawahar (IIIT Hyderabad). The panel was moderated by Dr Siddharth (Plaksha University). The conversation underscored the tensions between ambition, feasibility and impact of pursuing mainstream AI research.