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Admissions

The PhD programme at IISER Pune is a blend of classroom curriculum and mentoring undergraduate students along with a major research component. IISER Pune admits students to doctoral programmes in Biology, Chemistry, Data Science, Earth and Climate Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, Mathematics, and Physics.

Students with a master’s degree in Science / Mathematics or a four-year bacherlor degree with at least 60% marks (aggregate) are encouraged to apply to our PhD programme. In addition to the qualifying degree, we expect the students to have qualified a national examination such as CSIR-UGC NET/GATE/JEST/NBHM/JGEEBILS, etc., depending on their area of research interest. Students will be selected to the PhD programme based on performance in the interviews.

Please note that the precise eligibility criterion for each year may vary from department to department and will be announced at the time of intake.

Prime Minister's Research Fellowship (PMRF)

IISER Pune is one of the PMRF granting institutes offering PMRF Fellowship to meritorious PhD candidates. To apply for PMRF through direct entry, the candidate needs to get selected in our regular PhD programme, and the Institute will recommend selected few candidates for PMRF. The final decision will be taken by the National Level Discipline-Specific Selection Committee. Detailed eligibility criteria are mentioned on the PMRF website and the same will be applicable.

Candidates are advised to visit the PMRF website to know more.

Admissions to the PhD Programme (Batch starting in January 2022)

NOTE: In view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, PhD interviews may be held online. Clear guidelines or any changes in procedure will be provided to candidates shortlisted for the interviews.

Application Process

  • Only online applications will be accepted.
  • The candidates must carefully fill and submit the online application form on or before the specified date.
  • After the last date, all applications will be screened and candidates selected for interviews will be intimated by email.

Please Note / Important Points / Application Criteria

  • All communication with candidates will be by email only.
  • Kindly check this website for periodic updates.
  • In case of any application related queries, please contact doctoraloffice@iiserpune.ac.in with your application number mentioned on the subject line.
  • Candidates who are appearing or about to appear for final examinations of the qualifying degree programme are eligible to apply for Integrated PhD programme. However, upon selection, the admission to the PhD programme would be provisional until the candidate fulfills all the eligibility related criteria.
  • Selection will be based on interviews of the short-listed candidates.
  • Relaxation of eligibility criteria for SC/ST and PD applicants will be as per Government of India norms. Candidates belonging to reserved category will have to submit relevant certificates, if selected.
  • For all the national eligibility examinations which provide a common rank / score, the cut-off rank / score for shortlisting for the Interviews for the reserved categories shall be lowered to 1.25 times the General category rank / score.
  • Applying does not automatically guarantee that a candidate will be shortlisted for interview. The respective departments may use additional criteria (based on academic performance and/or performance in the national level tests) in order to shortlist candidates for interviews depending on the number of applications received.

Admission procedure for January 2022 batch has been initiated for the following department/s. Eligibility Criteria and application details are given further below on this page, separately for each of the departments.

Biology

Chemistry

Data Science

Earth and Climate Science

Mathematics

Physics

The  following departments will not be conducting admissions for the January 2022 batch.

    Humanities and Social Sciences
    

Biology Chemistry Data Science Earth and Climate Science Mathematics Physics

Admissions for PhD Programme in Biology - January 2022 

IISER Pune hosts a diverse group of researchers working in various areas. Research in Biology at IISER Pune currently encompasses both theoretical and experimental approaches. Fields of research open to application in this round of PhD selections are given below, along with names of faculty members working in the respective fields:

Ecology and Evolution

For students interested in ecology and evolution (both theoretical and empirical).

  • Ramana Athreya
  • Sutirth Dey

Molecular Biology / Cell Biology / Biochemistry

For students interested in molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, cellular biophysics, developmental biology, microbiology, immunology, epigenetics, chromosome biology, and cancer biology.

  • Amrita Hazra
  • Girish Ratnaparkhi
  • Jayant Udgaonkar
  • Jeetender Chugh
  • Kundan Sengupta
  • Mayurika Lahiri
  • Richa Rikhy
  • Saikrishnan Kayarat

Neurobiology

For students interested in the experimental, theoretical and computational study of various aspects of nervous system function.

  • Aurnab Ghose
  • Collins Assisi
  • Nixon Abraham
  • Raghav Rajan
  • Suhita Nadkarni

Theoretical and Computational Biology: 

For students interested in any branch of theoretical biology including theoretical neuroscience, evolution, bioinformatics and computational cell biology.

  • Chaitanya Athale
  • Collins Assisi
  • Ramana Athreya
  • Suhita Nadkarni
  • Sutirth Dey
Note: Only those faculty members whose names are given above will accept students through this round of PhD admissions. Therefore, before applying, students should check this list carefully to ensure that labs of their interest are available for admissions in this round.

Application Criteria

All candidates who fulfil criteria A1 and any one of the criteria mentioned in A2, are eligible to apply. Based on these applications, IISER Pune will create the list of students to be invited for the online interviews.

Eligibility Criteria

A1. Masters' (or B.E., B.Tech., M.Tech., MBBS) degree holders in any branch of science including physics, chemistry, mathematics, biological sciences, ecology and environmental sciences, biodiversity, psychology or equivalent. Applicants must have a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate (overall percentage and not just in majoring subject) or an equivalent CGPA in the General /OBC/EWS category or minimum 55% marks in aggregate (overall percentage and not just in majoring subject) or an equivalent CGPA in the SC,ST or PwD category.

Students whose final results in Masters or equivalent are yet to be declared can also apply. However, if selected, the offer for these students will be provisional, subject to their fulfilling the above criteria.

A2. Applicants must have any one of the following qualifications.

  • Qualified a National Eligibility exam that provides a 5-year PhD fellowship such as CSIR-JRF / UGC-JRF / DBT-JRF-A / ICMR-JRF / DBT-BINC-JRF / Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship / Maulana Azad National Fellowship / National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste Students by CSIR-UGC / National Fellowship for Higher Education of ST Students / National Fellowship for OBC Candidates / National Fellowship for persons with disabilities (NFPWD). The fellowships must be valid on February 01, 2022.
  • Qualified JEST* or GPAT or NBHM in last two years.
  • INSPIRE-PhD fellowship (should be in possession of provisional selection letter at the time of Interview).
  • IISER BS-MS dual degree students with CGPA ≥ 8.0
  • Qualified GATE exams (GATE Life Sciences, GATE Chemistry, GATE Eco-Evo, GATE Biotechnology, GATE Mathematics) in. The GATE score must be valid on February 01, 2022.
  • Qualified JGEBILS (IISER Pune will shortlist based on the ranks of the students).
  • For all the national eligibility examinations which provide a common rank / score, the cut-off rank / score for shortlisting for the Interviews for the reserved categories shall be lowered to 1.25 times the General category rank / score.

Shortlisting and Interview Process

Meeting the above-mentioned criteria merely makes the candidate eligible for application. IISER Pune reserves the right to use other / more stringent criteria for the purpose of shortlisting for interviews. Specifically, the scores obtained in the “Research Design” and “Design an experiment” can be used for the purpose of shortlisting for interviews. Only shortlisted candidates will be informed. Therefore, all candidates are requested to check this page regularly for updates.

 

Admissions for PhD Programme in Chemistry - January 2022 

Department of Chemistry at IISER Pune encompasses diverse research areas of interest. There are many exciting research fields including inter-disciplinary research areas to explore. There are opportunities to work in theoretical, computational as well as experimental fields to approach and solve the research problems. The broad research disciplines and the list of faculty members with different research expertise having vacancy in their labs are given below.

Inorganic Chemistry

Inorganic and Material Chemistry, Energy Harvesting, Redox Chemistry and Synthesis of Porphyrinoids, Organometallic Chemistry, Metal-Organic framework, Transition Metal Based Homogeneous Catalysis etc, Thin films of metal-organic.

  • V.G. Anand
  • Moumita Majumdar
  • Shabana Khan
  • Nirmalya Ballav
  • Sujit Ghosh
  • Ramanathan Vaidhyanathan

Organic Chemistry

 Organic synthesis and Chemical Biology, Bio-functional molecular design, Peptides and applications, Chemical probing of biological processes (lipid signaling & metabolism), Carbohydrates and Glycomics, Protein Engineering Chemical Biology of Microbes etc.

  • Pinaki Talukdar
  • H.N. Gopi
  • S. Britto
  • R. Kikerri
  • Amrita Hazra
  • Siddhesh Kamat
  • Harinath Chakrapani

Physical Chemistry Experimental and Spectroscopy

NMR Spectroscopy, Understanding Protein-RNA interactions, Gas Phase Laser Spectroscopy, Tera-Hertz Spectroscopy, Electrochemical Energy Storage, Fuel Cells, Batteries, Biophysics-Protein folding, Functional Nano-materials. Protein Biophysics.

  • Aloke Das
  • Pankaj Mandal
  • Pramod Pillai
  • Jeetender Chug
  • Nirmalya Ballav
  • M. Musthafa
  • Jayant Udgaonkar

Theoretical and Computational Physical Chemistry

Computer Simulations of Battery Electrolytes and Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells, Chemical Physics (analytical theory), Polymer physics (simulations, Computational Material Science) etc.

  • Arun Venkatnathan
  • Srabanti Chaudhury

Admission Procedure

For admission to the PhD Programme, interested candidates with good academic track record satisfying the below eligibility criteria can apply.

Eligibility Criteria

1A. Minimum 60% marks in aggregate (overall percentage; not only in the majoring subject) or an equivalent C.G.P.A on 10-point scale (55% or an equivalent C.G.P.A in aggregate for SC, ST and Specially abled candidates PD/VH) in Masters' Degree in any branch of Science: Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics / Biology or equivalent. Candidates with Integrated BS-MS degree / B.E. / B. Tech. / B. Pharm. / ME / M. Tech. / M. Pharm. degree satisfying the above criteria of marks can also apply.

AND

1B. In addition to the above criteria, the candidate MUST have qualified any ONE of the following exams:

(a) National Eligibility Test (NET) with VALID CSIR-JRF/UGC-JRF#†
(b) INSPIRE-Ph.D. fellowship (Should be in possession of INSPIRE Fellowship Provisional Selection Letter at the time of Interview)
(c) CSIR/UGC NET-LS# or GATE#†
 
#Applicants with valid UGC/CSIR-JRF, NET-LS and GATE will be further screened based on the ranks/score for their eligibility set by the Institute/Department committee.
† For all the national eligibility examinations which provide a common rank / score, the cut-off rank / score for shortlisting for the Interviews for the reserved categories shall be lowered to 1.25 times the General category rank / score.

OR

2. IISER BS-MS (All IISERs) Dual degree students with CGPA >= 8.0

Above scores/ranks/fellowships MUST be valid at least till February 2022.

Selection Procedure

Based on application forms received and the above listed criteria, applicants will be further shortlisted for the interview based on additional criteria set by the Department. All the candidates selected for the interview will receive a separate email to appear for the interview. Shortlisted candidates will be selected for admission to the PhD programme through a rigorous evaluation process that includes an interview by a selection committee. The mere application/shortlisting does not guarantee admission into the PhD programme.

Admissions for PhD Programme in Data Science - January 2022 

For admissions to the PhD Programme in Data Science, interested candidates with a good academic track record satisfying the below eligibility criteria can apply.

Eligibility Criteria

1. Minimum 60% marks in aggregate (overall percentage; not only in the majoring subject) or an equivalent C.G.P.A on 10-point scale (55% or an equivalent C.G.P.A in aggregate for SC/ST and Specially abled candidates PD/VH) in Master’s degree or Integrated M.Sc., BS-MS, B.E., B. Tech, or equivalent in Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, or related branches.

AND

2. In addition to the above criteria, the candidate MUST have qualified a national examination such as CSIR/UGC-JRF, CSIR/UGC-NET / GATE / JEST/  NBHM / JGEEBILS, etc. This must be supported with a corresponding valid score* / selection letter, applicable for the January 2022 PhD enrolment.

*Above scores/ranks MUST be valid at least until 1 February 2022.

For all the national eligibility examinations which provide a common rank / score, the cut-off rank / score for shortlisting for the Interviews for the reserved categories shall be lowered to 1.25 times the General category rank / score.

Selection Procedure

Based on application forms received, the above listed criteria, and additional criteria set by the Department, applicants will be shortlisted for interviews. Shortlisted candidates will be selected for admission to the PhD programme through a rigorous evaluation process that includes an interview by a selection committee.

The mere application or shortlisting does not guarantee admission into the PhD programme.

 

 

 

 

Admissions for PhD Programme in Earth and Climate Science - January 2022 

The Department of Earth and Climate Science at IISER Pune invites applications from highly motivated students for admissions to Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programme for the session starting January 2022.

Research Areas (number of positions)

A. Geochemistry (1) (contact Dr. G. R. Tripathy for details)

B. Geophysics (1) (contact Dr. A. Datta for details)

C. Glaciology (1) (contact Dr. A. Banerjee for details)

Minimum Eligibility

  1. Students with minimum 60% marks in aggregate (overall percentage; not only in majoring subject) or CGPA 6 out of 10 point scale (55% or equivalent CGPA in aggregate for SC, ST and PD candidates) in Master’s (or BS-MS) degree in Geology / Applied Geology / Geophysics / Physics / Mathematics / Atmosphere science / Climate Science / Engineering, or related subjects. BE / B.Tech students may also apply. The C.G.P.A cut-off for BE/B.Tech candidates are the same as above. Candidates must have Physics and Mathematics at their BSc or equivalent degree level.

Additionally, the candidate MUST have qualified in any ONE of the following exams:

  1. National Eligibility Test (NET) with valid* CSIR-JRF / UGC-JRF or CSIR-LS / UGC-LS
  2. INSPIRE-PhD fellowship (The candidate should be in possession of provisional selection letter at the time of interview),
  3. DAE-JEST or GATE with a valid* score.

*The score/rank MUST be valid at least until February 01, 2022.

  OR

  1. IISER BS-MS students with major in one of the subjects mentioned above with CGPA>=8.0.

For all the national eligibility examinations which provide a common rank / score, the cut-off rank / score for shortlisting for the Interviews for the reserved categories shall be lowered to 1.25 times the General category rank / score.

Selection procedure: Selection will be based on interviews of the short-listed candidates.

For position B, a strong background in undergraduate-level physics, mathematics, and computer programming is expected. Additionally, some coursework in seismology (at least one semester) at the graduate level is required. The selected candidate may be required to participate in fieldwork.

For position C, a strong background in undergraduate-level physics, mathematics, and computer programming is expected. The selected candidate is expected to participate in fieldwork in the Himalaya.

Please Note

  • Only online applications will be accepted.
  • Applying does not automatically guarantee that a candidate will be shortlisted for interview. The department may use additional criteria in order to shortlist candidates for interviews depending on the number of applications received.

 

PhD Programme in Mathematics - January 2022

Minimum Eligibility Criteria

Students with minimum 60% marks in aggregate (overall percentage; not only in majoring subject) or an equivalent C.G.P.A on a 10-point scale (55% or an equivalent C.G.P.A in aggregate for SC, ST and PD candidates) in any Master’s degree or B.E., B. Tech. in related branches satisfying the above criteria of marks can apply. 

Additionally, the candidate MUST satisfy any ONE of the following criteria:

  1. Appeared for NBHM PhD written exam held on August 18, 2021 and shortlisted for NBHM PhD interviews.
  2. Qualified National Eligibility Test (NET) with valid* CSIR-JRF/UGC-JRF in Mathematics or Computer Science and Applications.
  3. INSPIRE-PhD fellowship holders. (Should be in possession of Provisional Selection Letter at the time of Interview)
  4. Valid* GATE rank in Mathematics or Computer Science and Information Technology.
  5. Qualified for the Prime Minister Research Fellowship, and the fellowship should be valid*.
  6. Integrated BS-MS from any of the IISERs with a C.G.P.A more than or equal to 8 out of 10.
(*Validity: The scores/ranks MUST be valid at the time of admission.)  
 
For all the national eligibility examinations which provide a common rank / score, the cut-off rank / score for shortlisting for the Interviews for the reserved categories shall be lowered to 1.25 times the General category rank / score.
 
 



Admission to PhD Programme in Physics for the January 2022 Batch

IISER Pune invites online applications for the PhD programme in Physics for the session starting in January 2022. Fields of research open to application in this round of PhD selections are given below, along with names of faculty members who are willing to hire PhD students in the respective fields:

A) Condensed matter (experiment and theory)

  • Ashish Arora (Experimental Condensed Matter Physics, 2D materials, Optics in magnetic fields)
  • Atikur Rahman (Experimental condensed matter physics, quantum transport in nanostructures)
  • Shouvik Datta (Experimental Condensed Matter Physics, Excitons)
  • Sunil Nair (Spintronics, Multi-functional Materials, Strongly Correlated Electron Systems)
  • Mukul Kabir (Condensed Matter Physics)
  • Prasenjit Ghosh (Computational Material Science, Chemical Physics)

B) Soft matter experiment

  • Shivprasad Patil (Nanomechanics of single molecules, Diffusion)
  • Vijayakumar Chikkadi (Experimental Soft Condensed Matter)

C) Quantum computing and cold atoms

  • Umakant Rapol (Experimental Quantum sensing, quantum computing and physics with ultra cold atoms and ions)

D) Astronomy

  • Ramana Athreya (Astronomy)

E) High energy physics and string theory

  • Sachin Jain (High Energy Theory, String Theory)

Eligibility Criteria

The candidate should have a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate (overall percentage; not only in the majoring subject) or CGPA 6 out of a 10 point scale (55% or equivalent CGPA in aggregate for SC,ST and PD candidates) in M.Sc. or B.Tech/BE.

Those students who are currently in the final year of the postgraduate programs are welcome to apply. If shortlisted after the final interviews, the final admission will be subject to the condition that the above criteria are met.

AND

The candidate MUST have any one of the following:

  1. Qualified National Eligibility Test (NET) with valid CSIR-JRF/UGC-JRF, GATE or JEST score. The score/rank should be valid at the time of admissions.
  2. INSPIRE-Ph.D. fellowship (should possess provisional selection letter for Ph.D. fellowship at the time of personal interview)
  3. Integrated BS-MS dual degree from any of the IISERs with CGPA greater than or equal to 8.0.

For all the national eligibility examinations which provide a common rank / score, the cut-off rank / score for shortlisting for the Interviews for the reserved categories shall be lowered to 1.25 times the General category rank / score.

Additional criteria well beyond the minimum eligibility criteria will be used for shortlisting the candidates to be called for the interview.

Interview

Final selection to the programme will be based on performance of the shortlisted candidates in a personal interview to be conducted online in the week starting from November 22, 2021.

For more information about the PhD Physics programme, please visit the following link: https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/education/programmes/phd-programme