PhD Admission | IISER TVM

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram

Online Application for the Admission to PhD Programme

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Ph. D. Advertisement Varsha 2026 (August 2026)

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Ph. D. Advertisement Varsha 2026

Applications are invited from highly motivated students for admission to the Ph. D. programs of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram (IISER TVM) in the Schools of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, Data Sciences, Earth, Environmental and Sustainability Sciences (EESS), and in the centre High-Performance Computing (CHPC) for the session starting from August 2026, i.e., Varsha 2026 semester. Candidates are required to apply through the online portal only. The online application portal will be open from 20th March 2026 at (https://phdadmission.iisertvm.ac.in/index.php/applicant/register/20)

General Eligibility Criteria

(For School- or Centre-specific eligibility criteria, see the tables below)

6.5 CGPA on a 10-point scale (or first-class equivalent) or first class in Master’s program in a relevant discipline as declared by the respective university for General/OBC-NCL candidates and a minimum of 50% marks (or a CGPA of 5.5 in the 10-point scale) for SC/ST and PwD candidates. (BE/BTech degree in relevant specialization is admissible for select areas of research in the School of Physics/ Data Sciences/ Earth, Environmental and Sustainability Sciences(see Research Areas))
The candidate must have qualified at least one of the following examinations: CSIR-JRF, UGC-JRF (Category-I or II or III) or GATE or other national-level examinations as specified in the document, with validity as on 01 August 2026. (see School specific Eligibility Criteria for other national-level examinations considered for the selection).
BS-MS/MSc/Integrated MSc students from any of the IISERs/IITs/IISc with a CGPA of 8 or above on a 10-point scale are exempted from national level test eligibility related criteria.
JRFs at IISER TVM, recruited under extramural projects, with a valid national-level qualification as specified in point 2.

SCHOOL	RELEVANT AREAS	ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Biological Sciences	Biological Sciences/Chemical Sciences/Physical Sciences/ Mathematics/ Bioinformatics/ Agricultural Sciences/Veterinary Sciences OR 5 year Bachelor Degree in Medicine (e.g. MBBS, BDS) OR BE/BTech/Engineering areas closely related to the research areas in the School of Biology.	(General Eligibility Criterion 1 AND General Eligibility Criterion 2) OR General Eligibility Criterion 3 OR General Eligibility Criterion 1 with one of the following: DBT-JRF (Category I)/ICMR-JRF: Only candidates whose fellowships are tenable at IISER TVM are eligible. *GATE (EY): Will be considered only for Ecology/Evolution/Behaviour. GATE (XL/BT/PH):* Will be considered only for Bioinformatics/Computational Biology/Theoretical Biology NBHM-JRF: Will be considered only for Bioinformatics/Computational Biology/Theoretical Biology JGEEBILS (GS-2026)* JEST (Physics)* qualified candidates will be considered only for Computational Biology/Theoretical Biology/Biophysics/Structural Biology * Depending on the number of applications, a cut-off based on marks/score maybe be imposed to shortlist these candidates OR (General Eligibility Criterion 1 AND General Eligibility Criterion 4)
Chemical Sciences	Chemical Sciences	(General Eligibility Criterion 1 AND General Eligibility Criterion 2) OR General Eligibility Criterion 3 OR (General Eligibility Criterion 1 AND General Eligibility Criterion 4)
Physical Sciences	Physical Sciences/Material Science/Engineering areas closely related to the research areas of School of Physics, IISER TVM	(General Eligibility Criterion 1 AND General Eligibility Criterion 2/ JEST 2026 (Physics)) OR General Eligibility Criterion 3 OR (General Eligibility Criterion 1 AND General Eligibility Criterion 4) For the * marked research areas listed below BE/BTech candidates are eligible to apply.
Mathematical Sciences	Mathematics/Statistics/Engineering/Relevant area of science	(General Eligibility Criterion 1 AND General Eligibility Criterion 2/NBHM Doctoral Scholarship with a valid certificate as on 01 August 2026) OR General Eligibility Criterion 3 OR (General Eligibility Criterion 1 AND General Eligibility Criterion 4)
Data Sciences	Computer Science/Data Science/Statistics/Mathematics/Information Technology/Electronics and Communication Engineering or Engineering areas closely related to the research areas of School of Data Science, IISER TVM.	(General Eligibility Criterion 1 AND General Eligibility Criterion 2/JEST 2026 (Theoretical Computer Science)) OR General Eligibility Criterion 3 OR (General Eligibility Criterion 1 AND General Eligibility Criterion 4) For the * marked research areas listed below BE/BTech candidates are eligible to apply.
Earth, Environmental and Sustainability Sciences	MSc or MTech in Marine sciences/Chemistry/Physics/Biology/Mathematics/Geology/Applied Geology/Earth Science/Atmospheric Science/Meteorology/Climate Science/Oceanography/Water Resources/Hydrology Ecology/Agriculture/Environment Science BE/BTech/Engineering areas closely related to the research areas of School of Earth, Environmental and Sustainability Sciences, IISER TVM	(General Eligibility Criterion 1 AND General Eligibility Criterion 2/DBT-JRF,ICAR-JRF,GATE,JGEEBILS,JEST or equivalent) OR General Eligibility Criterion 3 OR (General Eligibility Criterion 1 AND General Eligibility Criterion 4) For the * marked research areas listed below BE/BTech candidates are eligible to apply.

Schoolwise Research Areas

Biological Sciences	Biophysics and Biochemistry Dr Bandan Chakrabortty https://www.bandanchakrabortty.com/ Dr Ramanathan Natesh https://faculty.iisertvm.ac.in/natesh/ Dr N. Sadananda Singh https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/nssingh Dr Sanu Shameer https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/sshameer Dr. Vijay Jayaraman https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/vijayjayaraman Cell and Molecular Biology Dr Manish Kumar https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/mkumar Dr Ramanathan Natesh https://faculty.iisertvm.ac.in/natesh/ Dr Nishana Mayilaadumveettil https://nishanalab8.wixsite.com/nishanalab Prof Nishant K. T https://facultynishantkt.wixsite.com/gsllab Dr N. Sadananda Singh https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/nssingh Dr V Stalin Raj https://www.virology-scientific-research-laboratory-iisertvm.com Ecology & Evolution Dr. Mayukh Mondal https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/mayukhmondal/research-focus Prof Ullasa Kodandaramaiah https://www.vanasiri.in/ Genetics and Development Dr. Boominathan Mohanasundaram https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/boomi Dr. Jishy Varghese https://jishylab.wixsite.com/dreamlab Dr. Mayukh Mondal https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/mayukhmondal/research-focus Dr Nishana Mayilaadumveettil https://nishanalab8.wixsite.com/nishanalab Prof Nishant K. T https://facultynishantkt.wixsite.com/gsllab Dr N. Sadananda Singh https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/nssingh Dr Satish Khurana https://stemcelldevlab.wixsite.com/khuranalab Infection and Immunity Dr Kamalakannan Vijayan https://kamalakannanvijaya.wixsite.com/laboratory-of-parasi Dr Manish Kumar https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/mkumar Dr V Stalin Raj https://www.virology-scientific-research-laboratory-iisertvm.com Host-Pathogen Interaction Dr V Stalin Raj https://www.virology-scientific-research-laboratory-iisertvm.com Dr Kamalakannan Vijayan https://kamalakannanvijaya.wixsite.com/laboratory-of-parasi Dr Manish Kumar https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/mkumar Neurobiology Dr Poonam Thakur https://sites.google.com/view/thakurlab/home Plant Biology Dr Bandan Chakrabortty https://www.bandanchakrabortty.com/ Dr. Boominathan Mohanasundaram https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/boomi Dr Ravi Maruthachalam https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/ravi Dr Sanu Shameer https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/sshameer Dr Nitin Kamble https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/nitinkamble Theoretical & Computational Biology Dr Bandan Chakrabortty https://www.bandanchakrabortty.com/ Dr. Mayukh Mondal https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/mayukhmondal/research-focus Prof Nishant K. T https://facultynishantkt.wixsite.com/gsllab Dr Ramanathan Natesh https://faculty.iisertvm.ac.in/natesh/ Dr Sanu Shameer https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/sshameer Dr. Vijay Jayaraman https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/vijayjayaraman
Chemical Sciences	Asymmetric Total Synthesis and Catalysis; Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/rajendar Atom-precise Metal Nanoclusters and Inorganic Materials https://mandalresearchgroup.wixsite.com/home Bioinorganic and Coordination Chemistry https://skunduchem.wixsite.com/skgroup Biomaterials, Chiral Nanomaterials, Antimicrobial coatings, Nanomedicine https://sites.google.com/view/biomaterialslab/publications d-block Organometallic Chemistry, Small Molecule Activation, Development of Molecular Catalysts for Hydrogenation and Cross-Coupling Reactions https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/ramarajayyappan/research-interests Development of New Synthetic Methods, Asymmetric Catalysis, and Cross-Coupling Reactions https://sites.google.com/view/alagiri-research-group/home Electrocatalysis for Energy Conversion and Biomass Valorization https://muthukrishnan42.wixsite.com/my-site Inorganic and Materials Chemistry; MOFs for gas storage and separations, Li and Na-ion Batteries & Supercapacitors https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/thiru/research_ Main Group Catalysis https://www.maingroupchemistrylab.com Medicinal chemistry, Organic synthesis, Computational drug discovery, Chemical biology https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/ayanmukherjee/personal-information NMR Spectroscopy and Biophysical chemistry https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/vinesh Organic Chemistry, Mass spectrometry, Metabolic chemistry https://sites.google.com/iisertvm.ac.in/metachem-lab/ Organic Synthesis Enabled by Metal Catalysis, Photocatalysis and Molecular Editing https://sites.google.com/iisertvm.ac.in/bsgroup/home Organic synthesis and cross-coupling reaction, Machine learning and AI in organic synthesis https://www.rameshrasappan.com Photochemistry and Photophysics, Molecular Spectroscopy, Ultrafast Spectroscopy https://faculty.iisertvm.ac.in/hariharan/ Radical Chemistry in Organic Synthesis https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/reddy Soft-Materials & Interfaces, Protein-film electrochemistry, Charge Transport in Bio/Molecular Systems https://sites.google.com/view/fereirolab Supramolecular Chemistry, DNA nanotechnology, Cancer therapy https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/reji Supramolecular Chemistry, Molecular Switches and Machines, Host-guest Chemistry https://sites.google.com/iisertvm.ac.in/soumen-de-lab/home Supramolecular chemistry / Organic chemistry https://kms514.wixsite.com/kmsgroup/publications Synthesis of Macrocycles, Molecular and ion-sensors for optoelectronic applications https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/gokul Theoretical and Computational Chemistry https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/siva Theoretical and Computational Physical Chemistry, Systems Chemistry, Biophysics, Soft Matter https://sites.google.com/view/pushpita-ghosh/home Theoretical Chemistry; Computational Materials Science https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/swathi Ultrafast Spectroscopy, Excited-State Structural Dynamics https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/adithya
Mathematical Sciences	Algebra and Geometry: Low Dimensional Topology, Algebraic Geometry Applied and Computational Mathematics: Numerical Methods for PDEs, Computational Methods for PDEs, Scientific Computing, Financial Engineering, Mathematical Oncology, Data Science & Machine Learning, Computational Harmonic Analysis Analysis and Applied Analysis: Functional Analysis, Analysis of Partial Differential Equations (PDEs)
Data Sciences	() Deep Image Segmentation, Space Applications (Segmentation, Object Detection), Lightweight Deep Learning Model, Deep Neural Network, Physics-inspired Neural Network, Real-time Applications: https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/mainak Survival Analysis, Dependence modelling using Copula, Applied Statistics: https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/shyamal Design and analysis of Cluster Randomized Trials, Survival Analysis, Reliability Theory, Applied Statistics: https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/priyanka () Computer Vision, Deep Learning applications to Medical Imaging, Computational Imaging, Biomedical Data Science, Explainable AI, Spatial Data Science: https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/rajisusanmathew () Human Behavior Analysis (HBA), Emotion Recognition, Multimodal AI, Affective Computing, Human-Centered AI, AI for Mental Health, Computational Behavioral Neuroscience, Deep Learning, Reinforcement Learning, Computer Vision: DiL Lab, https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/alwinpoulosepalatty () Theoretical Computer Science: Algorithms and Complexity, Graph Theory and Combinatorics: https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/dhanyamolantony () AI-assisted B5G/6G V2X, Connected Autonomous Mobility, Deep Learning, Edge AI, IoT-based Precision Farming, Next Generation Intelligent Transportation System, Post Quantum Secure Networking: https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/suresh () 3D Computer Vision, Computer Graphics, 4D Human-Object Interaction, 4D Mapping, 4D Reconstruction, Spatial LLM: Zakaria Laskar-Google Scholar () Quantum Cryptography, Post-Quantum Cryptography, Applied Cryptography, Cloud Security, Blockchain Security: https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/laltusardar () BE/BTECH candidates are eligible for selected areas marked with asterisk.
Physical Sciences	Experimental Physics () Super capacitors, Solid-state Lithium Batteries https://faculty.iisertvm.ac.in/shaijumon/ Quantum Magnetism Excitons in 2D materials, Quantum Emitters, Epsilon Near Zero Systems https://jmitra.wixsite.com/joygroup Superconductivity, Quantum materials, Energy materials https://sites.google.com/iisertvm.ac.in/quemat Physics of semiconductor devices (solar cells, light emitting diodes, transistors, memory, bioelectronic) based on quantum/organic/perovskite/2D materials using various optical and electrical spectroscopy techniques https://faculty.iisertvm.ac.in/manoj/ Ultrafast Optical Spectroscopy of 2D nanomaterials https://rajeevkini.iisertvm.ac.in/ Nonlinear optics, frequency combs, microwave photonics, Photonic quantum computing () Biomedical Instrumentation and Imaging; Development of Light Sheet Microscopy (LSM) or Selective Plane Illumination Microscopy (SPIM) imaging system; Development of photoacoustic imaging (PAI) system - both microscopy and tomography https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/suhesh.kumar () Engineered Quantum Materials and Device Physics https://bikas.iisertvm.ac.in/ () Advanced semiconductor devices for power / energy conversion https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/guru () Quantum Materials (Topological materials, and Van der Waals heterostructures), Spintronics (Multiferroics) https://www.fmdlab.in/ () Ultrafast molecular dynamics, Generation of attosecond pulse train https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/krishnendugope () Quantum dot spin-qubits, 2D superconducting circuits https://faculty.iisertvm.ac.in/qtran/ Theoretical* Physics Condensed Matter Theory: Strongly correlated electron systems, Neural quantum state (NQS) wave function for quantum many-body systems, Topological phases of matter. Nonlinear Dynamics and Complex Systems: Adaptive Networks https://faculty.iisertvm.ac.in/skumar/ Condensed Matter Theory: Quantum Materials, Magnetism and Spintronics https://sites.google.com/view/souvikpaul-cmslab Beyond Standard Model of Particle Physics, Effective Field Theory, Baryon Number Violation, Dark Matter https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/mathewthomas or https://inspirehep.net/authors/1413667 Quantum Information Theory, Quantum Materials (Theory) and Quantum Limited Sensing and Metrology Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation and Analysis of Cosmological and Astrophysical Datasets https://iisertvm.irins.org/profile/94131 High Energy Astrophysics (Computational Astrophysics in Gamma Ray Bursts) Beyond the Standard Model of Particle Physics, Collider Phenomenology Soft Matter, Complex Systems, Biophysics Theoretical and Computational Physics of Soft and Active Matter, with Applications to Biological and Complex Systems Nonequilibrium Statistical Physics (Models such as Stochastic Lattice Gas, Coupled Burgers Equations, etc.) Quantum Simulations, Synthetic Quantum Matter, and Quantum Information Pulsars and Gravitational Waves (Theory and Data Analysis) (*) BE/BTECH candidates are eligible for selected areas marked with asterisk
Earth, Environmental and Sustainability Sciences	Land-Atmosphere Interactions: https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/prasanth Atmospheric/Climate Modeling: https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/prasanth Tropical Meteorology: https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/vishnu Atmospheric aerosols and boundary layer: https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/anandn Atmospheric physics: https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/anandn Cloud Physics: https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/pramitha Atmospheric Dynamics: https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/pramitha Geochemistry, Paleoclimatic reconstruction: https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/fousiya Stable isotope tracers in precipitation: https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/fousiya Igneous Petrology and Geochemistry: https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/ashutp Structural geology, rheology, tectonics: https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/subhajitghosh Aquatic biogeochemistry: https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/bhavya (*) BE/BTECH candidates are eligible for selected areas marked with asterisk.

CHPC Centre of High-Performance Computing

Research areas	Relevant Areas	Eligibility
Quantum information theory and quantum computing	MSc in Physics	(General Eligibility Criterion 1 AND General Eligibility Criterion 2) OR (General Eligibility Criterion 1 AND General Eligibility Criterion 4) OR General Eligibility Criterion 3
Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, NGS analysishttps://sites.google.com/iisertvm.ac.in/the-mutations-lab/	MSc in Bioinformatics/Computational Biology or other relevant areas with interest and experience in computational genomics.
Numerical methods for Partial differential equations, Computational fluid dynamics, Hyperbolic system of conservation laws:https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/sudarshan	M.Sc/M.Tech in Mathematics.Familiar with PDEs, Numerical methods, Scientific computing.
Computational Fluid Dynamics,Numerical methods for PDEs,HPC for Computational Biology of the Heart.https://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculty/nchamakuri/research-interests	M.Sc/M.Tech in Mathematics/Data Science/Biomedical engineering. Background in PDEs, Numerical methods,Scientific computing, and/or Computational biology preferred
Theoretical and Computational Biology: Tissue regeneration, Cell Polarity, Signal processinghttps://www.bandanchakrabortty.com/	MSc/MTech in Physics or Mathematics or Computer Science BE/BTech (4 years) Physics or Mathematics or Computer Science
Theoretical and Computational Chemical physics and Softmatter biological physics,https://sites.google.com/view/pushpita-ghosh/home?pli=1	Masters in Chemistry/Physics/Biophysics/Computational Biology;Experience in theoretical physical chemistry/soft matter physics/biophysics preferred. Background and experience in numerical techniques and computations preferred.

School and Centre wise Selection Procedure

SCHOOL/CENTRE	SELECTION PROCEDURE
Biological Sciences	It is mandatory for a candidate to submit a short "Statement of Purpose" of 300-400 words, based on a research area the candidate finds interesting. While applying online, the proposal has to be uploaded under the section "Statement of Purpose (SOP)". The proposal need not be related to the research ongoing at the School of Biology, IISER TVM. Short-listed candidates will have to appear for interviews conducted by IISER TVM in hybrid mode. There will be two rounds of interviews. The first round of interviews will be conducted online. Candidates who are shortlisted further for the final round of interviews will have to appear in person at IISER TVM campus. The final selection of candidates will solely be based on the performance during the interviews.
Chemical Sciences	Marks and Ranks (CSIR-JRF/UGC-JRF/GATE) based shortlisting and interview in person.
Physical Sciences	During the application process, the candidates will be asked to enter one of the choices among 1) Theoretical, 2) Experimental. The shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend interviews conducted in hybrid mode.
Mathematical Sciences	Candidates meeting all the eligibility criteria will be further shortlisted and be called for offline interviews at IISER TVM.
Data Sciences	During the application process, a candidate will be asked to select one or more choices of the research areas for the School of Data Science based on her/his qualifications. The shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend interviews which will be conducted in hybrid mode at IISER TVM.
Earth, Environmental and Sustainability Sciences	Applications will be shortlisted based on marks and the shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend interviews which will be conducted in hybrid mode at IISER TVM.
CHPC	During the application process, a candidate will be asked to select one or more choices of the research area for the centre based on her/his qualification. The shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend interviews which will be conducted in hybrid mode at IISER TVM.

Important Dates

Online application portal opened from	20 March 2026
Last date for receipt of online applications	20 April 2026
Tentative Interview Dates
Biological Sciences	First round (online): 1st week of June 2026 Final round (in-person): 1st week of July 2026
Chemical Sciences	19-21 May 2026
Physical Sciences	07-08 May 2026
Mathematical Sciences	13-15 May 2026
Data Sciences	2nd week of May 2026
EESS	07-08 May 2026
CHPC	21-22 May 2026
Mode of examination	See the Schoolwise selection procedure

General Information and Application Procedure

Applicants should complete the online application form at the url: ( https://phdadmission.iisertvm.ac.in/index.php/applicant/register/20 ).
Only applications complete in all respects would be considered. Do not forget to click the “Submit” button after completing your application.
Applicants will also be prompted to upload all the supporting documents online.
Applicants should provide Name/Affiliation/Contact number and Email addresses of two referees in the application form.
Applicants belonging to GEN/OBC and SC/ST/PH categories are required to make a payment of Rs. 500/- and Rs. 250/-, respectively, as a processing fee online through the application portal.
On submission of the online application form, the applicants will receive an acknowledgement email with a unique application number.
Applicants are NOT required to post a hard copy of the application to IISER TVM.
In case of any application-related queries, please contact the Ph.D. coordinator by email at: phdprogramme@iisertvm.ac.in. Any other mode of communication will not be entertained.
Mere fulfilment of the eligibility criteria does not entitle a candidate to be called for the interview.
Relaxation for reserved categories to the eligibility criteria will be applicable as per Government of India rules.

Instructions | Required Documents | Apply Now | View / Modify Application

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Ph. D. Advertisement Varsha 2026 (August 2026)

Ph. D. Advertisement Varsha 2026

General Eligibility Criteria

(For School- or Centre-specific eligibility criteria, see the tables below)

Schoolwise Research Areas

Biological Sciences

Chemical Sciences

Mathematical Sciences

Data Sciences

Physical Sciences

Earth, Environmental and Sustainability Sciences