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Concordia-India AI Initiative
The Concordia–India AI Initiative is a convening platform designed to foster bilateral collaboration between Concordia University and Quebec, Canada; and partners across India in the field of artificial intelligence.
Structured as a recurring, consultative forum, the initiative brings together Concordia researchers, and governmental, private, and funding partners in Quebec, Canada, and India to:
- share ongoing AI-related research and areas of expertise
- surface priority needs, challenges, and opportunities from Indian private, research, governmental and civil society partners
- identify and advance pathways for collaborative projects, training, and knowledge exchange
Positioned at the intersection of research, application, and partnership development, the Concordia-India AI Initiative is focused on enabling applied, impact-oriented AI collaborations and support the development of jointly defined initiatives.
The Concordia–India AI Initiative strengthens international engagement in a priority geographic area while supporting the translation of AI expertise into concrete collaborative opportunities.
Speakers:
Suchit Ahuja is Associate Professor of Business Technology Management at the John Molson School of Business, Concordia University, Montreal. In January 2026, he was appointed Co-Director of Concordia's Applied AI Institute. He previously served as founding Director of the MSc Program in Business Analytics and Technology Management and, during 2024–2025, as Academic Lead of the Quebec Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub at Concordia. In 2026, he was shortlisted among the Global Top 100 Voices to Follow in Higher Education by Vevox.
Dr. Anjali Awasthi is a Full Professor with the Concordia Institute for Information Systems Engineering at Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Her research interests include sustainable mobility, intelligent transportation systems, city logistics, and quality assurance in supply chain management. Dr. Awasthi served as President of the Canadian Operational Research Society (CORS) for the 2024–2025 term and has also contributed to the Society as Education Chair and Council Member. She is the recipient of several prestigious honors, including the IEOM Distinguished Woman in Industry and Academia Award (2025, Windsor), the Eldon Gunn Service Award (CORS 2018, Halifax), and the IEOM Special Recognition Award presented at the 4th North American Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 2019. Her research paper, “A System Dynamics Simulation Model to Evaluate Regulatory Policies for Sustainable Transportation Planning,” received the Best Paper Award from the International Journal of Modeling and Simulation. Dr. Awasthi is also an active member of the CORS Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee and a strong advocate for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education and outreach initiatives. Her recent works involve artificial intelligence applications for autonomous transportation systems and shared mobility.
Emily Mannard works closely with Concordia University as a program advisor with Mitacs, a non-profit organization committed to fostering impactful collaborations with national and international partners across academia and industry. Emily’s background as an educator and experience with community-driven research has fueled her passion for facilitating diverse partnerships and supporting research and innovation across sectors. She looks forward to connecting with attendees of the Concordia-India AI Initiative meeting and discussing how Mitacs can assist in funding AI-focused collaborations within India’s private and public sectors.