New Delhi, India  |  August 11–12, 2026

Dr. Shyamal Mondal is working as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Applied Physics, Defence Institute of Advanced Technology, Pune, India. His broad research areas include high-power ultrafast fiber and solid-state laser oscillators and amplifiers, plasmonic photoconductive antennas, high-electric-field THz generation and detection, and nonlinear frequency-mixing processes. Previously, he worked as a Research Assistant Professor at SRM Institute of Science and Technology,Kattankulathur, India, for three years. At Accelerator Science and Technology Centre,STFC Daresbury Laboratory, United Kingdom, as a Rutherford International Fellow, he worked on the experimental optimization of high-field multi-cycle terahertz pulses for the application of appropriate structures, including terahertz waveguides, terahertz photonic structures and resonant cavities. In his first postdoctoral study at IPE, Czech Republic, he developed different ultrafast, high-power mode-locked fiber lasers and their amplifier systems with different ytterbium, erbium, thulium, and chalcogenide fibers to produce broadband near-infrared and mid-infrared frequency sources by frequency mixing processes. He completed his Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur in 2015 with a specialization in 'Ultrafast Lasers and Nonlinear Optics'. He published more than 45 peer-reviewed articles, three book chapters and one patent. He has completed 02 sponsored projects, and 02 more are ongoing.  He is a life member of OSI, ILA, and an advisor of DIAT OPTICA Student Chapter.

​

​

Group Captain Dr Raj Mongia (R) is a distinguished defence professional, strategic thinker, poet, author and academic with extensive experience in military operations, defence strategy, and emerging security technologies. A former officer of the Indian Air Force, he brings decades of leadership experience in operational readiness, strategic planning, and national security management.

During his service, Group Captain (Dr) Raj Mongia was associated with key defence and strategic institutions, including the Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS), the Indian Air Force’s premier think-tank, where he contributed to research on China, Air power, Strategic affairs, and also Soft Power. He has also worked on deputation with the Ministry of External Affairs in Southern and also Latin America and Caribbean division.

His professional interests include artificial intelligence in defence, multi-domain warfare, emerging military technologies, cognitive and information warfare, He actively contributes to academic and policy discourse through research, writing, and institutional engagements on contemporary security challenges.

In addition to his defence background, Group Captain Raj Mongia is engaged in academia and strategic studies with special emphasis on India’s Soft Power.  At the Conclave 2026, he will share insights on Future Warfare and Multi-Domain Readiness: Integrating AI, Autonomous Systems, and Strategic Air Power.

​