2026 NAFEMS India Conference

Keynote Speakers

Rahul S Mahajan
Automotive Research Association of India

Sr. Deputy Director and HoD, Engineering Design and Simulation (EDS) and Passive Safety Lab (PSL)

The Strategic Role of Simulation in Modern Regulation and NCAP

• Rahul S. Mahajan, Sr. Deputy Director, is working with ARAI since 2002. He is a post-graduate in Mechanical- Design Engineering from Govt. College of Engg., Pune (Maharashtra).
• His domain expertise includes Computer Aided Engineering (CAE), Crash/Impact/Drop Analysis of Automotive Structures and their validation, Linear, non-linear, contact, thermal, fatigue Analysis of Automotive Components, manufacturing process simulations etc. He is actively involved in initiation of CAE Based Certification at ARAI for commercial vehicles viz. buses and trucks.
• He is also responsible for components, subsystems, and vehicle level assessment for Passive Safety He is Chairman of BIS TED 29 Sectional Committee, Convenor for BNCAP 2.0, AISC Crash Panel Member and one of the India Representatives for GRSP meetings of WP-29. He is part of various standard formulation committees.
• He is involved in many test facilities viz. HyGe facility at FID, HEIT facility at Takwe, Airbag test facility and interior fitting test facility at HTC.
• He has successfully executed number of developmental projects in automotive as well as non-automotive fields.
• He is also involved in establishment of CAE (software and hardware) facilities, 3D Scanning and Benchmarking facility and Drop test facility at ARAI.
• He is handling a team of ~ 110 employees at EDS and ~ 160 employees at PSL (Kothrud and Chakan location).
• Mr. Mahajan has published and presented several papers in national / international forums.

Dr E. Hemalatha
Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA)

Associate Technology Director (Dynamics & Aeroelasticity), Airframe

Simulation for Test, with Test and Simulated Testing - The Expanding Role of Modelling and Simulation in Aircraft Structures

With over 25 years of experience, Dr Hemalatha is a leading authority in aircraft vibration and aeroelasticity. After completing her PhD in Aerospace Structures at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, she joined ADA in 1999 and is an engineering leader in their pioneering work on aircraft structural and aeroelastic analysis and testing on the indigenous combat aircraft programme. A domain expert, she has served on review committees and provided guidance to the IAF and Indian Navy on major aviation programmes. In 2025 she received a Letter of Appreciation from the Vice Chief of Naval Staff in recognition of her contribution to military aviation.

In her keynote, she will focus on the importance of balancing simulation and test with acceptable risks in aircraft structural design development, certification, and flight clearance. This will be illustrated using real-world applications of structural dynamics and aeroelasticity. She will also discuss simulated testing and qualification by analysis and examine how modern advancements such as AI/ML and Physics-Informed Deep Learning (PIDL) can be used to leverage legacy data.

Book Your Place

D​elegate Fees (frozen from 2025!)

• NAFEMS Members - 10,620 INR
• Non-Members - 11,800 INR

T​he above registration fees are inclusive of all local taxes and charges.

D​iscounts may be available for groups of 5+ delegates from one organisation.

^{E​vent Cancellation Policy}
_{F​or this conference, cancellation terms exclude GST Tax, which is 100% non-refundable.}

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