Applications are invited from prospective candidates for admission to the PhD program at IISER Mohali in Biological Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Physical Sciences, Earth and Environmental Sciences and Humanities and Social Sciences for the session beginning in January 2026. Candidates interested in pursuing research in interdisciplinary areas are also encouraged to apply. Additional details are available at the link: https://www.iisermohali.ac.in.
Eligibility Criteria: The applicant should have a Masters/B.Tech/B.E/MBBS/M.Tech degree OR equivalent degrees (from Recognized Institute/University, with at least 55% marks or CPI 5.5 on a scale of 10); OR 4-year BSc/BS (Honours with Research, with at least 75% marks or CPI 7.5 on a scale of 10); (relaxation to OBC-NCL/SC/ ST/ PwD/ Third gender category candidates will be provided as per the GOI rules) with good academic records and should be CSIR-UGC-JRF / ICMR-JRF / DBT-JRF / DST-INSPIRE* qualified in the relevant subject or other national-level fellowships or sponsored fellowships from private or state agencies. *DST-INSPIRE qualified candidates with additional national-level test qualification are preferred. A limited number of candidates with GATE/JEST/GPAT/ICAR-NET/CSIR-UGC Categories (2 and 3) will be eligible for fellowships either from IISER Mohali or through extramural project grants held by faculty members. While applying for admission in a given department, candidates are expected to meet the departmental eligibility criteria given below. Selection will be done following the provisions of the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006, and its amendments. The candidates should have valid national-level test qualification at the time of interview.
Projected seats: 164 seats.
Application procedure: Prospective candidates should apply online using the "Online Application Facility” by visiting the website at https://www.iisermohali.ac.in. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for a screening test/interview at IISER Mohali.
Instructions: Read the instructions here before filling out the online applications - Instructions for PhD Online Application Form
Last date: The online application facility will remain active until Monday, November 3, 2025 up to 11:59 PM. For further details about the program and research areas, please visit the IISER Mohali website:https://www.iisermohali.ac.in. Additional information may be sought from the candidates shortlisted for interview. The candidates must check their email periodically and provide the necessary information, if asked, failing which may lead to cancellation of their application.
DEPARTMENTAL ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:
Biological Sciences: The applicant should have a Master’s degree / B.Tech/ B.E / MBBS / M.Tech / M.E / M.Pharm or equivalent degrees with a good academic record (at least 55% or CPI 5.5 on a scale of 10); relaxation to SC/ST/PD candidates will be provided as per the GOI rules) and should be GATE / CSIR-UGC (JRF/LS) / ICMR-JRF / ICARNET / DBT-JRF (Category I/II) / DST-INSPIRE qualified in the relevant subject or other national-level fellowship or sponsored fellowships by private or state agencies. Please note that these are the minimum eligibility criteria, and merely meeting these criteria does not entitle a candidate to be called for the interview.
Chemical Sciences: The applicant should have a Master’s degree / B.Tech/ B.E / MBBS / M.Tech / M.Pharm in Chemical sciences, Physical and Biochemical sciences/biotechnology/ nanotechnology or any other relevant subject with a good academic record [General/ OBC/ General-EWS candidates who have secured at least 55% marks (or 5.5 CGPA) and OBC-NCL/ SC/ ST/ PwD/ Third gender category candidates who have secured at least 50% marks (or 5.0 CGPA) in Master’s degree or equivalent degrees]. The candidate should be CSIR-UGC (JRF/LS) /GATE/ ICMR-JRF/ DBT-JRF / DBT-BINC / DST-INSPIRE qualified in the relevant subject or other national-level fellowship or sponsored fellowships by private or state agencies. Candidates’ research interests will be considered
while assigning a laboratory and a guide.
Physical Sciences: The applicant should (1) have a Master’s degree (M.Sc/MS) / B.Tech /B.E / M.Tech /ME with a good aca-demic record (at least a high second class, as per CSIR guidelines, without rounding off: GEN / Unreserved / General-EWS/OBC: 55% marks; Scheduled Caste (SC) / Scheduled Tribe (ST) / Persons with Disability (PwD) / Third gender category candidates: 50% marks), OR 4-year BSc/BS (Honours with Research) with a good academic record (Minimum of 75% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade on a point scale, relaxation as per GOI rules), and (2) should be CSIR-UGC (Category 1,2 and 3) / GATE / JEST / DST-INSPIRE qualified in the relevant subject area (all of these to be valid as of January 01, 2026).
Earth and Environmental Sciences: An applicant should have an MSc/M. Tech/B.E./B.Tech degree with at least a high second class (minimum 55% for General/OBC category and minimum 50% for SC/ST/PD) in one or more of the following subjects: Atmospheric Sciences / Computer Sciences and IT / Climate Sciences / Chemistry / Data Sciences / Artificial Intelligence / Earth and Environmental Sciences / Microbiology / Biotechnology / Bioscience and Bioengineering / Environmental Engineering/ Geology / Geophysics / Earth Sciences / Hydrology / Mathematics / Meteorology / Microwave Remote Sensing / Planetary Science / Physics / Remote Sensing / Civil Engineering / Geomatics Engineering or B.Tech/B.E degree (minimum 55% for General/OBC category and minimum 50% for
SC/ST/PD) in one or more of the following subjects: Computer Science and Information Technology/Data Sciences/ Artificial Intelligence/engineering streams (e.g. Civil / Aerospace / Agriculture / Electrical / Electronics and Communication). Applicants should have qualified for a national-level qualifying exam such as GATE, CSIR-UGC (JRF/LS) / DST-INSPIRE fellowship / DBT-JRF in the relevant subject or any other national-level fellowship or sponsored fellowships by private or state agencies (all of these to be valid as of January 01, 2026). A limited number of institute fellowships will be available in the following areas: Meteorology, Seismology, Geophysics, Geochemistry/hydrogeology, Microwave Remote Sensing, Microbiology/Biotechnology/Bioscience, and Bioengineering.
Humanities and Social Sciences: Humanities and Social Sciences: Applicants should have any one of the following degrees: M.A. / M.Sc. / B.Sc-M.Sc. / M.Phil degree (minimum 55% for General and OBC category, minimum 50% for SC/ST/PD.), with specialisation(s) in one or more of the following broad subject areas: Hannah Arendt Studies / Critical AI Studies / Loneliness and Political Philosophy / Philosophy of Work / Literary Theory and Criticism / Archaeology or its sub-disciplines / Anthropology / Ancient Indian History / Ancient History / Modern Indian History. Please note that we have PhD seats available only for these aforementioned subjects/specialisations. Applicants should have a valid national-level qualifying exam, such as GATE, UGC (JRF/LS). External fellowships are encouraged as the available institute fellowships in the HSS department are highly limited at the individual faculty level. Candidates from SC/ST backgrounds and women who do not have external fellowships are encouraged
to apply. It is recommended to see faculty profiles on the department website before applying. Apart from applying online, an applicant must send a statement of proposed research (minimum 1500 words) to the following email address: hssiisermohali@gmail.com, mentioning the broad subject area (Critical AI Studies, Modern History, Archaeology, etc.) as the subject of the email, failing which the application will not be shortlisted for PhD interview. This email address is meant ONLY for sending the statement of the proposed research for Humanities and Social Sciences. Specific subject/department-related inquiries can be emailed to headhss@iisermohali.ac.in.
Salient features of the PhD program at IISER Mohali:
1. Cutting-edge research in six major subjects – Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences and Physics – and a large number of their subdisciplines.
2. Subject-specific as well as interdisciplinary areas of research.
3. Research teams with a unique mix of PhD fellows working with undergraduate and postgraduate students and post-doctoral fellows.
4. Opportunities for training, tutoring, and teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students.
5. A number of institute fellowships are offered to students who have qualified for a national exam but could not secure a fellowship.
6. Yearly contingency to students with institute fellowships (similar to the students with external fellowships).
7. Financial support (partial) to well-performing PhD fellows after completing the tenure of regular PhD fellowships.
8. Financial support to present research at international conferences.
9. On-campus hostel accommodation for all PhD students.