Admissions to the PhD Programme in Biology- August 2023

List of students shortlisted for first round of Interviews to be conducted between April 3-5, 2023 via Zoom

IISER Pune hosts a diverse group of researchers working in various areas. Research in Biology at IISER Pune encompasses both theoretical and experimental approaches. 

The 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:

Molecular Biology / Cell Biology / Biochemistry: For students interested in Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Cancer Biology, Cellular Biophysics, Chromosome Biology, Developmental Biology, Epigenetics, Immunology, Microbiology, Neurobiology and Structural Biology. 

• Chaitanya Athale
• Gayathri Pananghat
• Girish Ratnaparkhi
• Jayant Udgaonkar
• Jeetender Chugh
• Kundan Sengupta
• M.S. Madhusudhan
• Mayurika Lahiri
• Mridula Nambiar
• Nixon Abraham
• Nagaraj Balasubramanian
• Saikrishnan Kayarat
• Siddhesh Kamat
• Sudha Rajamani
• Sunish Radhakrishnan
• Thomas Pucadyil

Plant Biology: For students interested in Plant Biology, Plant Biotechnology, Agricultural Biotechnology and Plant Chemical Ecology.

• Anjan Banerjee
• Kalika Prasad
• Sagar Pandit

Theoretical and Computational Biology: For students interested in any branch of Theoretical Biology including Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience, Evolution, Bioinformatics and Computational Cell Biology.

• Chaitanya Athale
• Collins Assisi
• Leelavati Narlikar
• M.S. Madhusudhan
• Pranay Goel
• Suhita Nadkarni

Ecology and Evolution: For students interested in Ecology and Evolution (both Theoretical and Empirical). 

• Deepak Barua
• Ramana Athreya
• Sagar Pandit
• 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.

The eligibility criteria are given below. Last date for applying: 05-April-2023, 5 pm IST

Application Form for Ecology and Evolution

Please note that the interviews for this group (Ecology and Evolution) will happen between May 22-24, 2023. 

Application Criteria

All candidates who fulfill criterion A1 and any one of the criteria mentioned in A2 are eligible to apply. 

Based on the applications received, IISER Pune will create the list of students to be invited for the first round of online interviews that are scheduled to happen between March 29-31, 2023.

Minimum 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.

For applicants from General/OBC/EWS category: Applicants must have a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate (overall percentage and not just in the majoring subject) or an equivalent CGPA.

For applicants from SC, ST or PwD category: Applicants must have a minimum of 55% marks in aggregate (overall percentage and not just in the majoring subject) or an equivalent CGPA. 

Students whose final results in Master's 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 at the time of admission.

                                                                                             AND

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

• JGEEBILS: Those students who had appeared for JGEEBILS in December 2022 are requested to temporarily select “Yes” in the application form for the question that asks if you have qualified JGEEBILS. Please note that IISER Pune will shortlist the candidates based on the scores of the students and will invite only the ones who make this short list.

• Qualified a National Level Eligibility Examination 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/ 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 aforementioned fellowships must be valid on August 31, 2023.
• Qualified JEST, or GPAT or NBHM with a valid score on August 31, 2023. In case, the exam does not mention a validity explicitly, the validity will be taken to be 3 years from the date of intimation of the result to the candidate.
• 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, and GATE Mathematics). The GATE score must be valid on August 31, 2023.

For all the national level 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 makes the candidate eligible for only the application step. IISER Pune reserves the right to use other/ more stringent criteria for the purpose of shortlisting candidates for the interview stages. Please note that additional criteria will be used for selecting the candidates who will be invited for interviews. Furthermore, the content detailed in the “Research Design” and “Design an experiment” can also be used for the purpose of shortlisting for interviews.

Only those candidates who have been shortlisted for the interview stages will be informed of further details. Therefore, all candidates are requested to check this page regularly for updates. The referees of the shortlisted candidates alone shall be contacted for the reference letters.

Application Form for all fields other than Eco/Evo

Admissions to the PhD programme in Chemistry – August 2023

The 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 experimental fields as well as theoretical, computational fields to solve the research problems.

The following faculty members have vacancies in the upcoming PhD Admission: August 2023.

Inorganic Chemistry Fields:  Porphyrinoids, Molecular recognition, Organometallic Chemistry, Metal-Organic framework, Inorganic and Material Chemistry, Transition Metal Based Homogeneous Catalysis, Chemistry of Main Group Elements, Thin films of Metal-organic, Metallo Enzymes and Fe/S Proteins etc. 

• V. G. Anand
• R. Boomi Shankar
• Sujit Ghosh
• Nirmalya Ballav
• Shabana Khan
• Moumita Majumdar
• Debangsu Sil

Organic Chemistry:  Organic synthesis and Chemical Biology, Supramolecular Chemistry, Peptides and Applications, Polymers & Biomaterials, Nucleic Acid Chemistry and Biophysics, Asymmetric Synthesis, etc.

• R. G. Bhat
• H. N. Gopi 
• M. Jayakannan
• Pinaki Talukdar
• S. G. Srivatsan
• Harinath Chakrapani

Physical Chemistry Experimental and Spectroscopy:  Spectroscopy of Materials, Photophysics, Gas Phase Laser Spectroscopy, Optoelectronic Properties of Perovskite Semiconductors, Tera-Hertz Spectroscopy, Electrochemical Energy Storage, Fuel Cells, Batteries, Functional Nano-Materials, Understanding Protein-RNA Interactions etc. 

• Aloke Das
• Partha Hazra
• Nirmalya Ballav
• Angshuman Nag
• Pankaj Mandal
• Pramod Pillai
• M. Musthafa   
• Jeetender Chugh  

Theoretical and Computational Physical Chemistry:  Computational Chemistry and Computational Biophysics, Chemical Physics (Analytical Theory), Polymer Physics (Simulations, Computational Material Science), Computational Heterogeneous Catalysis.

• Arnab Mukherjee
• Srabanti Chaudhury
• Prasenjit Ghosh

Admission Procedure:

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

Minimum 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 PwD/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.

Students whose final results in Master's 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 at the time of admission.

AND

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

(a) National Eligibility Test (NET) with VALID CSIR-JRF#/UGC-JRF#

(b) INSPIRE-PhD 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 CSIR/UGC-JRF,  CSIR/UGC 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 greater or equal to 8.0

Above scores/ranks/fellowships MUST be valid at least till 31st August, 2023.

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 in-person 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 to the PhD Programme in Data Science- August 2023

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

Minimum Eligibility Criteria:

1. Master's degree or a four-year Bachelor's degree like B.E., B.Tech, or equivalent in Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, or related branches.

For applicants from General/OBC/EWS category: Applicants must have a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate (overall percentage and not just in the majoring subject) or an equivalent CGPA.

For applicants from SC, ST or PwD category: Applicants must have a minimum of 55% marks in aggregate (overall percentage and not just in the majoring subject) or an equivalent CGPA.

Students whose final results in Master's 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 at the time of admission.

AND

2. In addition to the above, the candidate MUST have at least one of the following qualifications:

a. Qualified a national level eligibility exam such as CSIR-JRF, UGC-JRF, DBT-JRF-A, DBT-BINC-JRF, JEST, NBHM, GATE, JGEEBILS, etc. The corresponding score / selection / award letter must be valid at least till 31 August 2023.

b. INSPIRE-PhD fellowship

(Should be in possession of provisional selection letter at the time of interview).

c. An integrated BS-MS dual degree from any of the IISERs with CGPA ≥ 8.0

For all the national level 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:

1. Based on the application forms received, the above-listed criteria, and additional criteria set by the Department, applicants will be shortlisted for interviews. Shortlisted candidates will be screened for admission to the PhD programme through a rigorous evaluation process that includes an interview and other criteria set by a selection committee.
2. The mere application or shortlisting does not guarantee admission into the PhD programme. IISER Pune reserves the right to use other / more stringent criteria for the purpose of shortlisting candidates for the interview and for the PhD program.
3. Only those candidates who have been shortlisted for the interview stages will be informed of further details. Therefore, all candidates are requested to check this page regularly for updates.

Application Form: Please click here to apply.

Note: Only online application will be accepted.

Admissions to the PhD programme in Earth and Climate Science- August 2023

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 August-2023.

Research Areas: 

1) Climate Science

Potential supervisors:

Argha Banerjee (Himalayan Glaciers)

Candidates with a strong background in undergraduate Physics and Mathematics, and Computer Programming may apply. The selected candidate is expected to contribute to an Indo-Swiss collaborative project, which starts in 2023, and participate in field studies and modelling of Himalayan glaciers. 

Suhas Ettammal (Organized Tropical Convective Systems)

Neena Joseph Mani (Climate dynamics)

2) Geology

Potential supervisors:        

Devapriya Chattopadhyay (Paleobiology and Marine Ecology)

Candidates with a strong background in Earth Science and an interest in Paleobiology are encouraged to apply. Candidates with prior experience in Paleontological/Ecological/Taxonomic research and/or R-programming language would be preferred. The selected candidate is expected to contribute to a project under the broad theme of conservation paleobiology.

Shreyas Managave (Stable-isotope geochemistry/Biogeochemistry)

Gyana Ranjan Tripathy (Weathering and Erosion)

3) Geophysics

Potential supervisors:

Arjun Datta (Theoretical and computational seismology)

Candidates should have a strong background in undergraduate Physics and Mathematics, as well as computer programming. Some background in Seismology (e.g. at least a one-semester course at M.Sc. level) is highly desirable. The selected candidate will work on seismological imaging of the Deccan Volcanic Province, as part of a DST-funded project starting in 2023. The PhD project will involve a mix of data analysis and theoretical/computational development.

Rahul Dehiya (Forward and Inverse Modelling of Geophysical data)

Minimum 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 and PwD candidates) in Master’s (or BS-MS) degree in Geology/ Applied Geology/ Geophysics/ Physics/ Mathematics/ Ocean Science/ Marine Science/ Atmospheric Science/ Climate Science/ Engineering or related subjects. BE/B.Tech. students may also apply.
2. Students whose final results in Master's 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 at the time of admission.

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

3 (a) National Eligibility Test (NET) with valid* CSIR/ UGC-JRF

3 (b) INSPIRE-PhD fellowship

(The candidate should be in possession of provisional selection letter at the time of interview),

3 (c) CSIR/ UGC-LS, DAE-JEST, GATE with a valid* score. 

*The score/rank MUST be valid at least till August 31, 2023.

OR,

3 (d) IISER BS-MS students with major in any one of the subjects mentioned above with CGPA >= 8.0

Selection procedure:

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

Note: 

1. Only online application will be accepted. 
2. Applying does not automatically guarantee that a candidate will be shortlisted for interview. Based on the number of applications received, IISER Pune reserves the right to use other/ more stringent criteria for the purpose of shortlisting candidates for the interviews. 

Admissions to the PhD Programme in Humanities and Social Sciences- August 2023

The department of Humanities and Social Sciences at IISER Pune invites applications from highly-motivated students for admissions to Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programme for the session August-2023.

Research Areas:

History of Ideas, Political Theory, Political Philosophy, Modern Indian Political Thought, Gandhian Studies, Gender and Indian Politics, Social Movements and Indian Politics, Development Economics, Water Resources Management, Climate Action and Policy, Environmental Sociology, Anglophone Literary Studies, Political Ecology, Social Transformation, Urbanization, Sociology of Climate Change, Disaster and Development, Environmental Justice, Gender Studies, Sanskrit, Experiential Learning, History of Architecture, History of Art, Archaeology, History of Astronomy, Material Culture, Epigraphy.

Minimum Eligibility Criteria:

1. The applicant should have a minimum of 60% aggregate marks or an equivalent CGPA on of a 10-point scale (55% or an equivalent CGPA in aggregate for SC, ST and PwD candidates) in their Master’s (MA/MSc/MPhil/BS-MS) Degree, in one or more of the subject which includes Sciences, Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Heritage Studies, Economics, English, History, Philosophy, Psychology, Sanskrit, Sociology, the Fine arts, and allied disciplines.

Applicants from Architecture, Engineering/ Technology, and Medicine are eligible after a Bachelor’s degree (minimum four years).

Students whose final results in Master's 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 at the time of admission.

Additionally, the candidate MUST have qualified at least in any ONE of the following exams with any Science or Humanities/Social Sciences subject:

2a. National Eligibility Test (NET) with valid* CSIR/UGC-JRF

2b. CSIR/UGC NET-LS (only from examination conducted during the year 2021 and 2022)

2c. NBHM/GATE with a valid* score.

*The score/rank MUST be valid at least till August 31, 2023.

OR

2d. IISER BS-MS (All IISERs) students with major in one of the subjects mentioned above with CGPA >= 8.0

Selection procedure:

Meeting the above-mentioned criteria makes the candidate eligible for only the application step.

Based on the applications received and the above listed criteria, applicants will be shortlisted for an interview. Candidates selected for the interview will receive a separate email to appear for the interview at the IISER Pune campus. Final selection will be based on interviews of the shortlisted candidates.

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.

Note:

1. Only online applications are accepted.
2. Incomplete applications will be rejected.

Admissions to the PhD Programme in Mathematics - August 2023

The Department of Mathematics at IISER Pune invites application from candidates satisfying the below-mentioned criteria for admission to the PhD Programme commencing from August 2023 session.

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 PwD 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 at least any ONE of the following criteria:

1.     Appeared for NBHM PhD written exam in 2023 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.     Valid* GATE rank (rank up to 32 for unreserved category candidates, and up to 40 for reserved category candidates) in Mathematics or Computer Science and Information Technology.

4.     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 on August 31, 2023.)

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.

Note:

1. Only online application will be accepted.
2. 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. The mere application/shortlisting does not guarantee admission into the PhD programme.

Application Form: Please click here to apply.

Admissions to the PhD Programme in Physics- August 2023

The department of Physics at IISER Pune invites applications for the PhD programme in Physics for the session starting in August 2023.

Minimum Eligibility Criteria:

1. A minimum of 60% marks in aggregate (overall percentage; not only in the 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 PwD candidates) in M.Sc. or B.Tech./B.E

Candidates in the final year of their Master's (or equivalent) degree program, whose results have not yet been declared, are welcome to apply. Note that if selected, the offer for such a candidate will be provisional, subject to their fulfilling of the above criteria at the time of admission.

2. Aditionally, the candidate must satisfy at least one among the following mandatory criteria:

1. Qualified National Eligibility Test (NET) with CSIR/UGC-JRF*.
2. Holds a rank equal to 500 or better (625 or better for candidates in the reserved categories) in GATE* or JEST PhD Physics*.
3. Holds an INSPIRE-PhD fellowship. (The candidate should be in possession of provisional selection letter at the time of interview)
4. Has an Integrated BS-MS dual degree from any of the IISERs with a CGPA greater than or equal to 8.0.

*The score/rank must be valid at least till August 31, 2023.

Note that additional criteria, beyond the above eligibility criteria, are likely to be imposed while shortlisting candidates at the interview stage.

Interview

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to appear for an interview to be conducted in-person at the IISER Pune campus.

The final selection to the PhD programme will be based on the candidate's performance in the interview.

Further Information

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

For information about the Physics department please visit https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/research/department/physics