The miniaturization and increase in power density of electrical components has led to an increasing need for efficient small-scale heat removal techniques. These conditions often result in laminar flow scenarios in which convective heat transfer is governed by wall-parallel flows with reduced mixing. The focus of this talk is to provide an in-depth examination of some interesting phenomena occurring in laminar flows, using a combination of fully resolved numerical simulations and experimental validation. The flow conditions examined include: 1) Jet impingement with local flow acceleration, and the presentation of a unified scaling law for stagnation-point heat transfer. 2) The thermal enhancement due to micro- and nano-particles in strong shear flow. 3) Scaling laws for heat and mass transfer in laminar channel flows with obstacles within steady and unsteady flow regimes. The goal of this talk is to provide a comprehensive understanding of some interesting flow phenomena and the impact of regime transitions on scaling laws, through the examination of physical insights into heat transfer mechanisms in laminar flows.