Intelligent Manufacturing and Mechanical Automation

Sanjay Yadav obtained his M.Sc. in Physics in 1985 and completed his Ph.D. in 1990. He currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief of MAPAN: The Journal of the Metrology Society of India. He also holds the positions of Vice President of both the Metrology Society of India (MSI), New Delhi, and the Ultrasonic Society of India (USI), New Delhi. Dr. Yadav is the former Chief Scientist and Head of the Physico-Mechanical Metrology Division at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), and a former Professor at the Faculty of Physical Sciences, Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), HRDG, Ghaziabad. He has received numerous national and international awards and scholarships. His notable contributions span pressure metrology, biomedical instrumentation, ultrasonic transducers, and instrumentation systems. His current research interests include R&D in physico-mechanical measurements, as well as the establishment, realization, maintenance, and upgrading of national pressure and vacuum standards. Dr. Yadav has published over 450 research papers in reputed journals and conferences, authored 20 books, secured 14 patents and copyrights, supervised eight Ph.D. students (with five more currently in progress), and contributed to numerous scientific projects, reports, technical documents, and policy papers.

Vikas Narayan Thakur joined the Department of Physics at Rajdhani College, University of Delhi, as an Assistant Professor in 2023. He earned his Ph.D. in Physics from the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), Delhi, following his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Physics from Hansraj College, University of Delhi. His doctoral research focused on ferroelectric materials-based hydraulic pressure sensors and the establishment of primary pressure standards. He pursued postdoctoral research at IIT Delhi, specializing in high-temperature-dependent impedance spectroscopy, and at Dongguk University, South Korea, where he contributed to the development of tactile pressure sensors using piezoelectric materials in bulk-polymer composites. Dr. Thakur has authored 38 research articles and made significant contributions to the fields of physics and materials science.

Pavan Kumar Kankar is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at IIT Indore. His research focuses on noise and vibration analysis of mechanical components, fault diagnosis and prognosis using machine learning, reliability engineering, biomedical signal processing, and dynamical systems analysis. He earned his Ph.D. from IIT Roorkee in 2011 and brings over two decades of teaching and research experience. Notably, he collaborated with Villanova University to distinguish between four common gear defects using recurrence analysis. He has published over 190 scholarly works, including journal articles, conference papers, books, and book chapters. He is an active member of professional bodies such as the International Institute of Acoustics and Vibration (USA), ASME, the Society for Reliability and Safety (SRESA), and the Tribology Society of India. Dr. Kankar joined the Board of Directors of Shree Engineers & Contractors Private Limited as an Independent Director (non-executive capacity). Recently, he was awarded the title of Visiting Professor at the School of Computing & Engineering, University of Huddersfield, beginning in June 2025.

Chen Wenjie is a Professor at Anhui University and a doctoral supervisor. He is a senior member of IEEE and serves as the Executive Deputy Director of the Anhui Human-Machine Integration System and Intelligent Equipment Engineering Laboratory. He also acts as an automation technology consultant for various government bodies and high-tech enterprises. Previously, he was a senior researcher at the Singapore Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). His primary research areas include precision mechanisms and micro-assembly systems for chip manufacturing, intelligent robotic grasping, and collaborative robot integration.

Shubin Yan is a Professor and doctoral supervisor, primarily engaged in research in micro- and nano-optical quantum sensing, micro- and nano-manufacturing, and instrument science. His current research interests include molecular and atomic physics, quantum sensing, micro- and nano-technologies, high-Q optical microcavity sensor theory, and system integration. In recent years, he has published 166 academic papers in domestic and international journals. He holds 42 authorized national invention patents, has contributed to one academic monograph, and edited two textbooks. Prof. Yan has led six projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, including five surface projects and one major research initiative on nanomanufacturing science. He has also presided over 16 provincial and ministerial projects and served as a sub-project leader for one national major research plan under the Ministry of Science and Technology. Additionally, he has participated in four national 973 preliminary research projects, five National Natural Science Foundation projects, and twelve other provincial and ministerial research initiatives.