IISER Mohali has run the PhD program since the Academic year 2008-2009. At present, there are about 700 students at various levels in the program in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, Earth and Environmental Sciences, and Humanities and Social Sciences. The PhD program involves coursework, a qualifying examination at the end of the coursework, thesis work/research, and a thesis examination, leading to the award of a PhD degree. More than 525 PhD degrees (including Int-PhD degrees) have been awarded by IISER Mohali.
Besides research, the scholars are involved in several activities, such as working as teaching assistants in theory courses and laboratory sessions. PhD students contribute significantly to mentoring fifth-year MS students in research laboratories. PhD students also participate actively in seminars, journal clubs, workshops, national and international conferences, etc. There are considerable intra- and inter-departmental interactions amongst students at different levels.
For applying to the PhD program at IISER Mohali, students are required to pass a national-level test for PhD admissions. Screening tests and/or interviews are conducted to select the best students. The majority of doctoral students at IISER Mohali have qualified for fellowships given by CSIR, UGC, DST, DBT, ICMR, and other funding agencies. A few meritorious students receive a PhD fellowship from the Institute.
Students are admitted to the PhD program twice a year. Applications are invited in March and September of each year through advertisements in newspapers and on the IISER Mohali webpages.
Doctoral graduates from IISER Mohali go for post-doctoral research in some of the finest research groups in the world. Several of them have become faculty/independent researchers in those institutions.