IIM Ranchi successfully concluded the second day of its 2nd Doctoral Research Conference (DRC) 2025, wrapping up two days of enriching academic dialogue and research engagement. Organised by the Institute’s doctoral community, the conference served as a vibrant platform for scholars to showcase their work while connecting with seasoned academics and industry professionals.

The day 2 began with an insightful session followed, led by Mr. Amit Siddhartha, Strategic Relationship Manager (Higher Education), Harvard Business Publishing. His talk focused on the challenges and transformations emerging in business education in the context of artificial intelligence. He addressed issues faced by students and faculty alike, explored the implications of AI-based hiring processes, and emphasized the importance of innovative, gamified learning methods in combating declining attention spans among students.

A key highlight of the day was the Editors’ Panel Discussion, featuring an esteemed panel of academic editors: Prof. Varsha Jain (MICA), Prof. Subhadip Roy (IIM Ahmedabad), Prof. Debasis Pradhan (XLRI Jamshedpur), and Prof. Aditya S. Mishra (IIM Ranchi). The panel shared practical insights on writing and structuring research papers, navigating the publication process, addressing ethical issues, and deciding between single-study or multi-study designs. Their guidance provided clarity and confidence to aspiring researchers preparing for academic publishing.

In his valedictory address, Prof. Deepak Kumar Srivastava, Director of IIM Ranchi, engaged directly with participants and faculty, seeking feedback on the conference experience. He reiterated the institute’s efforts to strengthen its doctoral programmes, shared ongoing enhancements in the curriculum, and highlighted the advantages of being part of IIM Ranchi - both as a researcher and a faculty member. He also announced plans to expand the scale and scope of DRC in the years to come.

This was followed by the distribution of participation certificates by the Director and the DRC Chairpersons. The conference then announced the Best Paper Awards, with Kumar Rohit named as Winner and Rajanish Chandra as Runner-up. The winners will receive cash prizes of ₹15,000 and ₹10,000 respectively. Both scholars shared brief remarks on the motivation behind their research and its potential contributions to their fields.

The event concluded with a formal Vote of Thanks by Prof. Aman Kumar, Chairperson of DRC 2025, who acknowledged the collective efforts of faculty, the organizing team, guest speakers, and all participating scholars. The conference underscored IIM Ranchi’s ongoing commitment to fostering cutting-edge research that not only advances academic knowledge but also addresses real-world challenges with purpose and precision.