Dec 18:-The Indian Institute of Technology Mandi successfully hosted the Applied Behavioural Sciences and Decision Making Conference a prestigious two-day event that brought together leading researchers, academicians, and practitioners from India and across the globe. The conference focused on cutting-edge research in behavioural science, cognitive modelling, and decision-making.
Organised by Prof. Varun Dutt and Prof. Sumitava Mukherjee ABSDM 2025 served as a dynamic interdisciplinary platform to explore the cognitive, social, and technological dimensions of decision processes. The discussions highlighted the growing relevance of behavioural insights in addressing real-world challenges such as climate change, public policy, and emerging technologies. The conference was supported by the Tata Trusts Project (PI: Prof. K. V. Uday), whose sponsorship played a key role in its successful execution.
The conference was inaugurated by Prof. Laxmidhar Behera, Director, IIT Mandi, and featured a keynote address by Prof. Joachim Meyer, Celia and Marcos Maus Professor of Data Sciences at Tel Aviv University. The inaugural session also included remarks by Prof. Arnav Bhavsar, Chair of the Indian Knowledge System and Mental Health Applications (IKSMHA) Centre; Prof. Shubhajit Roy Chowdhury, Chair of the Centre for Human-Computer Interaction; and Prof. K. V. Uday, Chair of the Centre for Climate Change and Disaster Management at IIT Mandi.
In his address, Prof. Laxmidhar Behera emphasised the critical role of behavioural and decision-making research in shaping the future of artificial intelligence, education, and sustainability, underscoring its importance for responsible technological advancement.
Prof. Joachim Meyer’s keynote address offered valuable insights into the interface between humans and decision-support algorithms, particularly in high-stakes domains such as healthcare, defence, and transportation. His empirical findings and models highlighted pathways to improve trust, transparency, and effectiveness in algorithm-assisted decision-making.
ABSDM 2025 featured rich discussions on interdisciplinary and application-driven themes, including behavioural interventions for environmental sustainability, real-world applications of drift diffusion models, and human–AI interaction. More than 30 research papers and poster presentations showcased advances across areas such as climate decision-making, cognitive biases, organisational behaviour, and data-driven policy design. Interactive roundtable and open-house discussions further examined how behavioural science can inform public policy, climate action, and technology design.
The conference concluded with a General Body Meeting, where participants discussed the formation of a Society for Applied Behavioural Science and Decision Making, aimed at strengthening research collaboration, education, outreach, and planning for future editions of the conference.
ABSDM 2025 successfully fostered a multidisciplinary community working at the intersection of psychology, engineering, economics, and data science. With continued support from academic and research institutions, including IIT Mandi and Tata Trusts, the outlook for behavioural science and decision-making research in India remains strong.
As a complementary initiative, IIT Mandi also organised the 7th Winter School on Cognitive Modelling (WSCM 2025) under the aegis of the IKSMHA Centre, supported by grants from the Tata Trusts and the Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) Division, Ministry of Education. The winter school brought together experts and students from psychology, neuroscience, computer science, and engineering, providing a collaborative platform to explore recent advances in cognitive modelling and brain sciences.
