Design Researcher · Educator · Entrepreneur

Dr. Sandesh
Sanjeev Phalke

Current Position

Asst. Professor (Gr. II), Dept. of Art, Science & Design — IIIT Dharwad

Founder & Director

Hey Attrangi Pvt. Ltd. — Digital Healthcare for Neurodivergent Children

Board Member

Aarogya Aadhar Pvt. Ltd., Pune

Get in Touch Google Scholar
15+ Publications
IIT Ph.D. from Guwahati
Inclusive Design ADHD Research HCI UX Design Thinking EdTech
Connect
🎓 Google Scholar 💼 LinkedIn 🎨 Behance ✉ s.phalke2029@gmail.com ☎ +91-9552324069
Dr. Sandesh Sanjeev Phalke
About

Designing for minds
that work differently

Currently serving as Assistant Professor (Grade II, Level 11) at the Department of Art, Science & Design, IIIT Dharwad — designing and facilitating minor courses in design for B.Tech students, serving on the Internal Complaints Committee, and mentoring startups incubated at IDRP.

Founder & Director of Hey Attrangi Pvt. Ltd. — a digital healthcare startup providing technology-based solutions for neurodivergent children and supporting the mental health of college students.

Ph.D. in Design from IIT Guwahati. Doctoral research on visual design guidelines for curriculum-based digital content tailored to children with ADHD — at the intersection of cognitive psychology, educational technology, and visual communication.

Technical Consultant & Board Member at Aarogya Aadhar Pvt. Ltd., Pune — a health-services startup focused on emergency medical support and affordable patient care.

MoE Ph.D. Fellow (Govt. of India). ACM Member since November 2023. General Co-Chair, India HCI 2025. Workshop PI for ANRF-funded Futures of Design workshop.

Education

Academic Background

Ph.D. (Design)
IIT Guwahati
Jul 2019 – Jul 2024
CGPA: 8.63 / 10
Visual Design Guidelines for Curriculum-based Digital Content for Children with ADHD · Supervisor: Dr. Abhishek Shrivastava
M.Tech. (Advanced Manufacturing)
SASTRA Deemed University, Thanjavur
Jul 2017 – May 2019
CGPA: 7.84 / 10
B.E. (Production Engineering)
Shivaji University, Kolhapur
Jul 2013 – May 2017
68.94% (6.89 / 10)
MBA (Project Management) — Online
DYPU Pune
Jul 2022 – Aug 2024
CGPA: 8.02 / 10
Child Psychology & Counselling
Manoved Foundation Pune
May – Jun 2020
Online CBT and REBT Course
Manoved Foundation Pune
Jun – Jul 2020
Skills

Expertise & Tools

Design & Research
Co-Designing Design Thinking Interaction Design UI / UX Inclusive Design Usability Testing User Flow Typography
Engineering & Operations
Operation Management Process Planning Process Control ANSYS ProE / Creo Auto-CAD
Software & Tools
Figma Procreate SPSS Mini Tab VoS Viewer Zotero Overleaf Image J Design Expert
Dr. Sandesh Sanjeev Phalke
Primary Position
Asst. Professor (Gr. II), IIIT Dharwad
Founder
Hey Attrangi Pvt. Ltd.
Board Member
Aarogya Aadhar Pvt. Ltd., Pune
Ph.D. Research
Visual Design for Children with ADHD
Languages
English · Marathi · Hindi
ACM Member
November 2023 – Present
Location
Dharwad, Karnataka, India
Experience

Professional Journey

AP
Assistant Professor (Grade II, Level 11)
IIIT Dharwad — Dept. of Art, Science & Design
Oct 2024 – Present

Designs and facilitates minor courses for B.Tech students. Member ICC; DPGC member for ASD and ECE departments; mentor to startups at IDRP.

HA
Founder & Director
Hey Attrangi Pvt. Ltd.
Oct 2024 – Present

Digital healthcare startup providing solutions for neurodivergent children and supporting mental health of college students.

AA
Technical Consultant & Board Member
Aarogya Aadhar Pvt. Ltd., Pune
Sep 2023 – Present

Emergency medical services, patient counselling, and affordable medical treatment. Advises on product and service design.

VF
Visiting Faculty, Department of Design
MIT-WPU Pune
Jul 2024 – Nov 2024

Course instructor — Design Strategy & Marketing, M.Des. (Industrial Design), Semester 3.

TA
Teaching & Research Assistant
IIT Guwahati
Jan 2020 – Apr 2024

Typography & Grid Systems, Representation Techniques, Interaction Design. Research assistance for master's thesis projects.

RF
Summer Research Fellow
IIT Delhi
May 2018 – Jul 2018

Under supervision of Dr. Sudarshan Ghosh. Indian Academy of Sciences Summer Research Fellowship.

PD
Product Developer
Shalgar Industries Pvt. Ltd., Satara
Jul 2016 – Apr 2017

Product development and process improvement in manufacturing operations.

SI
Summer Intern
Wilo India Mather & Platt Pumps, Pune
Jun 2016

Industrial internship in pump manufacturing and engineering.

Research

Publications

2025
Book
IndiaHCI '25: Proceedings of the 16th International Conference of Human–Computer Interaction Design & Research
Association for Computing Machinery · ISBN 979-8-4007-1848-9 · Edited with R. Gupta
2025
Journal
Comprehensive Methodological Framework for Representing Curriculum-Based Digital Content for Children with ADHD: A Practitioner's Approach
International Journal of Visual Design, 20(1)
2025
Journal
Evaluating Visual Design Guidelines for Digital Content Representation: A Nine-Month Study on Enhancing Attention in Children with ADHD
Authorea Preprints
2025
Journal
Comparative Evaluation of Cut Quality between Abrasive Water Jet Machining and Laser Beam Machining of Ti6Al4V
International Journal of Machining and Machinability of Materials (Accepted, Under Publication)
2024
Journal
Appropriate Visual Design Elements for Curriculum-based Digital Content Representation used by ChADHD in Typical Learning Environments
International Journal of Visual Design, 19(2)
2024
Journal
Achieving High Precision and Productivity in Laser Machining of Ti6Al4V: n-predictor Polynomial Regression and PSO Algorithm
International Journal of Lightweight Materials and Manufacture
2023
Journal
Identification of Digital Font Size and Font Type to Enhance Attention Span of Children Living with ADHD
International Journal of Visual Design, 17(1)
2023
Conference
HI Applications for ADHD Children: A Case for Enhanced Visual Representations Using Novel and Adapted Guidelines
International Conference on Trends in Electronics and Health Informatics — Springer Nature Singapore, pp. 207–226
2023
Conference
Auditory Interactions: A Potential Way for Managing Children Living with ADHD
International Conference on Research into Design — Springer Nature Singapore, pp. 751–759
2023
Book Chapter
Directions to Design Assistive Digital Aid for Children Living With ADHD
Exergaming Intervention for Children, Adolescents, and Elderly People, pp. 93–107 · IGI Global
2023
Book Chapter
HI Applications for ADHD Children: The Graphic Design Perspective
Brain-like Super Intelligence from Bio-electromagnetism, Studies in Rhythm Engineering, pp. 105–127 · Springer, Singapore
2021
Journal
Distribution of Residual Compressive Stresses in Induction Hardened Steel Gears
Metal Science and Heat Treatment, 63, 449–455
2019
Conference
Laser Cladding of Nickel Powder on AISI 202 Stainless Steel and Optimization of the Process Parameters
Advances in Manufacturing Processes: ICEMMM 2018, pp. 197–203 · Springer Singapore
View all on Google Scholar →
Startups

Ventures & Mentorship

HA
Hey Attrangi Pvt. Ltd.
Founder & Director
Own Venture

Digital healthcare startup providing technology solutions for neurodivergent children and supporting the mental health of college students. Building equitable technology at the intersection of design research and healthcare.

Founded Oct 2024 · Dharwad, Karnataka
FD
FreshDot
Mentor (Faculty)
Student-led startup incubated at IDRP IIIT Dharwad. Co-mentored with Dr. Prakash Pawar.
Team: Moksh A. Gundecha
Gz
Gigzy
Mentor (Faculty)
Platform-driven startup with a diverse founding team. Lead faculty mentor.
Saisha Bore, Simone Rodrigues, Hammad Malik, Palak Gupta
PP
Petal Path
Mentor (Faculty)
Co-mentored with Dr. Siddharth R. Innovative product concept by a creative student team.
Pratham Mohadikar, Apoorva Jadhav
YS
Yntra Sparks
Mentor (Faculty)
Data science-focused startup. Co-mentored with Dr. Suvadip Hazra.
Vikas Lal Singh, Kush Kumar, Dhanashri Bende
Outreach

FDPs, Workshops,
Conferences & Service

Sl. Activity Date / Period
1 Leadership General Chair, India HCI 2025 Nov 2024 – Nov 2025
2 FDP Resource Person — Innovation & Entrepreneurship FDP, IIIT Dharwad 25–26 Mar 2025
3 FDP Resource Person — Innovation & Entrepreneurship FDP, IIIT Dharwad 14–15 Jul 2025
4 Invited Talk Designing Interactions for Remotely Operated Vehicles — Lendi Institute of Technology 19 Dec 2025
5 Invited Talk Human Centered Design for Children & Education; Design Thinking — NIT Warangal FDP 23–24 Jan 2026
6 Workshop Invited Expert Speaker — ANRF VLSI Design Workshop, IIIT Dharwad 29 May 2026
7 Leadership Steering Committee Member — NAIN 2.0, ITBT Govt. of Karnataka Mar 2026 – Present
8 Workshop PI Futures of Design: Research, Technology and Education (ANRF-funded) Mar 2026
9 Mentor PMU Mentor — NAIN (Govt. of Karnataka) 2025
10 Reviewer Reviewer — India HCI 2025 2024
11 Mentor Mentor — IDRP Incubated Startups, IIIT Dharwad Oct 2024 – Present
12 Jury Jury Member — Yuva Sangam, Deshpande Foundation Apr 2026
13 Convener Convener — Shrishti Hackathon Apr 2026
29 May 2026
Workshop
Invited Expert Speaker — ANRF VLSI Design Workshop, IIIT Dharwad
Topic: Design Human Centered Electronic Products
23–24 Jan 2026
Invited Talk
Invited Expert Speaker — Faculty Development Programme, NIT Warangal
Topics: "Human Centered Design for Children and Education" · "Design Thinking and Innovation"
19 Dec 2025
Invited Talk
FDP — Lendi Institute of Technology
Topic: "Designing Interactions and Interfaces for Remotely Operated Vehicles"
14–15 Jul 2025
FDP
Resource Person — Innovation & Entrepreneurship FDP, IIIT Dharwad
Faculty Development Programme on Innovation & Entrepreneurship
25–26 Mar 2025
FDP
Resource Person — Innovation & Entrepreneurship FDP, IIIT Dharwad
Faculty Development Programme on Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Apr 2026
Convener
Convener — Shrishti Hackathon
Organised and convened the Shrishti Hackathon event
Mar 2026
Workshop PI
Principal Investigator — Futures of Design Workshop (ANRF-funded)
Workshop on Futures of Design: Research, Technology and Education
Mar 2026 – Present
Leadership
Steering Committee Member — NAIN 2.0
ITBT Government of Karnataka programme boosting B.Tech projects to startups
Nov 2024 – Nov 2025
Leadership
General Chair — India HCI 2025
16th International Conference of Human-Computer Interaction Design & Research
2025
Mentor
PMU Mentor — NAIN (Govt. of Karnataka)
Project Management Unit Mentor under the NAIN programme
Oct 2024 – Present
Mentor
Startup Mentor — IDRP Incubated Startups, IIIT Dharwad
Mentoring startups incubated at IDRP: FreshDot, Gigzy, Petal Path, Yntra Sparks
Apr 2026
Jury
Jury Member — Yuva Sangam, Deshpande Foundation
Evaluated student and youth innovation projects
2024
Reviewer
Reviewer — India HCI 2025
Peer review for the 16th India HCI Conference
Jul – Sep 2024
Reviewer
Reviewer — India HCI 2024
15th International Conference of HCI Design & Research
Sep 2023 – Jan 2024
Reviewer
Reviewer — ACM CHI 2024 (Full Paper Track)
Full paper peer review for ACM CHI 2024
Jul – Dec 2022
Reviewer
Reviewer — Journal of Engineering Manufacture (Part B)
Full paper review for Sage Publications journal
Recognition

Awards, Fellowships
& Honours

Fellowship
Ph.D. Research Fellowship — Ministry of Education, Govt. of India
Full doctoral research fellowship from MoE, Government of India
Jul 2019 – Jun 2024
Grant
ACM CHI 2021 Symposium Grant
Symposium grant awarded for CHI 2021, 8–13 May 2021
May 2021
Fellowship
IIT Delhi Summer Research Fellowship
Indian Academy of Sciences Summer Research Fellowship
May – Jul 2018
Best Paper
Best Paper Award — NCRTET, Quest 2017
"A Review of Literature on Autonomous Vehicles and ANN"
Feb 2017
Feature
Cover Feature — Beyond Science Magazine
Featured on the cover page of Beyond Science Magazine
Feature
Featured on STEAMid Platform
Recognised and featured on the STEAMid platform
Prototype
Resource Person — Prototype Design & Development
Under Government of India Institute Innovation Council
Sport
Inter-IIT Football Player — IIT Guwahati
Represented IIT Guwahati at all-India Inter-IIT Sports Meet
2019, 2022
Sport
University Football Player
Represented football team at University level — Shivaji University, Kolhapur
2014, 2015
Contact

Let's collaborate

Whether you're a researcher, educator, student, or startup founder — open to collaborations in inclusive design, HCI research, design education, or entrepreneurship.

✉ s.phalke2029@gmail.com ✉ s.phalke@iiitdwd.ac.in ☎ +91 95523 24069
Current Office

Department of Art, Science & Design
IIIT Dharwad, Karnataka, India

Online Profiles
🎓 Google Scholar — Research & Publications 💼 LinkedIn — Professional Profile 🎨 Behance — Design Portfolio