The Departments of Computer Science & Engineering and Information Technology at Chandigarh Engineering College (CEC-CGC), in collaboration with the Department of Computer Science Engineering at Chandigarh Group of Colleges, College of Engineering (CGC-COE), Landran, Mohali, successfully organized a five-day Faculty Development Program (FDP) on the theme “Future Ready Skills: Embracing Innovation in Emerging Technologies.”
The event brought together distinguished academicians and industry experts to empower faculty with future-ready competencies in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), cybersecurity, digital transformation and automation. The FDP featured a diverse lineup of sessions addressing the integration of emerging technologies in education, research and industry.
Dr. R.K. Aggarwal from NIT Kurukshetra opened the program with insights on human intelligence, AI, ML, deep learning, and the potential of Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Computer Vision. Dr. Abhiav Bhandari of Punjabi University, Patiala, discussed the innovative applications of Agentic and Generative AI in cybersecurity, emphasizing proactive, AI-driven defense strategies.
Dr. Meenakshi Sood from NITTTR Chandigarh highlighted AI’s transformative impact in healthcare, especially in diagnostics and biosignal interpretation, while Dr. Gaurav Kumar from Magma Research explored practical applications of Generative AI in academics, MOOCs and content creation through live demonstrations.
Further enriching the program, Dr. Sarwan Singh from NIELIT Chandigarh shed light on the paradigm shift from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0, focusing on sustainable, human-centric innovation and smart automation. Dr. Akashdeep Sharma of UIET, Panjab University, introduced participants to Langchain and Large Language Models (LLMs), showcasing how these technologies enhance natural language understanding and support intelligent application development.
In another session, Mr. Arshdeep Singh of Grazitti Interactive provided valuable insights into digital marketing trends, predictive analytics and the Salesforce Marketing Cloud, offering educators a forward-looking perspective on marketing technologies. Mr. Lovejot Singh Chhabra, Director of Cyber Defence Intelligence, followed with a compelling discussion on AI-driven threats in cybersecurity, including the risks posed by deepfakes, adaptive malware and automated attacks.
The final day featured an engaging session by TEDx speaker and technopreneur Mr. Manmeet Singh Bhatti, who spoke on ‘Automation and Robotics: Skills for the Workforce of Tomorrow.’ He emphasized the importance of hands-on learning, industrial automation, and upskilling to meet industry expectations, while also inspiring faculty to align curriculum development with evolving technological trends.
The FDP concluded with the valedictory session which was graced by the presence of Dr. Anuj Gupta, Director-Principal, CGC-COE; Dr. Sushil Kamboj, HOD, CSE, CGC-COE, Dr. Sukhpreet Kaur, HOD, CSE and Dr. Amanpreet Kaur, HOD, IT, CEC-CGC, Landran, Mohali. Emphasizing the importance of continuous faculty development to stay aligned with evolving technologies and pedagogy, they appreciated the insightful sessions delivered by industry experts, which played a vital role in bridging the gap between academic learning and current industry demands.
The FDP achieved its objective of empowering educators through exposure to real-world applications, interdisciplinary collaboration, and innovation. Participants gained a deeper understanding of emerging tools and methodologies, explored AI’s impact across industries, and learned to incorporate practical, project-based approaches into their teaching and research.