how to get phd in iisc bangalore

Interdisciplinary Mathematical Sciences PhD Programme

• Application Information Form -->

This page provides information on the admission process for the Interdisciplinary Mathematical Sciences PhD Program. It describes the two streams:

• Mathematical and Computational Biology
• Mathematical and Computational Engineering

It also lists the research projects which are accepting students this year.

Research Streams

Research activities under the Mathematical Sciences PhD Program are broadly categorized into two streams: Mathematical and Computational Biology and Mathematical and Computational Engineering with admission interviews conducted separately for each stream. Research labs are placed in one of these two streams.

A. Mathematical and Computational Biology Stream

The interdisciplinary Mathematical Sciences PhD program includes a biology stream which comprises mathematical and computational biology. On-going research projects include, but are not limited to, Bioinformatics; System Biology; Computational Neuroscience; Computational Biophysics; Computational Biology; Evolutionary Biology; Theoretical Biology; Viral Dynamics; Constrained Biomolecular Dynamics; Mathematical Immunology; Network Biology; Biomolecular 3-D structures and design; Evolution of biological systems. Some of the projects may include laboratory component as well.

We are open to admitting students from various backgrounds into our biology stream. In the past, many students with a degree in a branch of biological sciences (Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Bioinformatics, Systems biology etc) have joined this program. Biology background students with inclination towards fundamental mathematics/computing are particularly attractive to us. We also admit students with background in mathematics/physics/chemistry with good inclination towards a branch of biology.

B. Mathematical and Computational Engineering Stream

The interdisciplinary Mathematical Sciences Ph.D. program trains students in mathematical and computational models and algorithms in collaboration with domain experts. This program trains students in the broad areas of mathematical modeling, scientific computing as well as computational mathematics. This program aims at advancing the computational approaches for solving engineering problems that have mathematical flavour. Current students of the program work on interdisciplinary problems like medical image reconstruction, control system theory, numerical solution for differential equations, compressive sensing, reconfigurable computing, as well as visualization methods.

Students with a Masters background in Mathematics and Physics; Bachelors and Masters students in Engineering/Technology with strong mathematical background have been admitted earlier.

Interview Process

Students shortlisted for interviews will be given an information form that they need to submit on arrival. On this form, they will need to choose the research projects they are interested in. If all the projects chosen belong to a single stream, that student will be interviewed by an interview committee constituted for that stream.

If a student selects projects from both streams, he/she will be interviewed by both interview committees. Students will be interviewed on the basics of their area of specialization.

List of Research Projects Accepting PhD Students in 2023-24

• Semiconductor Quantum heterostructures
• Optoelectronic materials and devices
• Multifunctional oxide thin films and Devices
• Energy Materials (Fuel cells, solar cells, Li-ion battery)
• Materials for MEMS and NEMS applications
• Flexible electronics (Organic and hybrids)
• 2D electronic materials

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Research Admissions (PhD/MTech(Research)) 2022

Important news.

• The Provisional Merit List for the Research Interviews has been posted (3PM, 28 May, 2022) .
• The list of candidates (Application ID) selected for the Phase 2 of the research admission process (in-person interview at CDS, IISc between 23-27 May is available here . Please attend as per your call letter.

Important Dates

• Email from CDS informing the shortlisted Candidates about information sessions and aptitude test – Sent on 29 April 2022
• Online Information Session about CDS, doing research, interview preparation – 3 May 2022 (Tuesday) at 4 pm . Recording is available on the YouTube Link .
• Online Information Session with ATCG, CMG, QUEST, AMCL, BioMedIA Labs in Aug 2022 cycle – 4 May 2022 (Wednesday) at 4 pm . 
• Online Information Session with CSL, DREAM, MARS, VAL, VCL labs (accepting only EECS background students) in Aug 2022 cycle – 5 May 2022 (Thursday) at 4 pm . 
• YouTube Playlist with Lab Introductions is here .
• Online Research Aptitude Test – 10 May 2022 (Tuesday) at 3 pm.
• In-Person Oral Interviews  23-27 May 2022

Application Eligibility

• B.E./B. Tech. or equivalent degree in any discipline, or
• M.Sc. or equivalent degree in Mathematical Sciences, Physical Sciences, Electronics, Instrumentation, Computer Science, or
• Masters in Computer Application or Graduates of 4-year Bachelor of Science programmes (B.S).
• GATE/NET JRF score is required for students with a BE/BTech/B.S/M.Sc./MCA.
• GATE/NET JRF is not required for students with a B.E./B.Tech/B.S. from Centrally Funded Technical Institutions (IIT/IISER/NIT, etc.) , with a minimum CGPA of 8.0 out of 10 applying for a Ph.D.
• Students with a B.E./B.Tech/B.S. are eligible to apply for a direct Ph.D. This is encouraged.
• Complete details are on the IISc admissions page .
• IISc Admissions Website
• IISc Online Admissions Application
• Why do a Ph.D. at CDS?

Overview of the Admission Process

Research activities at the Department of Computational and Data Sciences (CDS) are categorized into two streams: Computational Science (CDS-CP) and Computer and Data systems (CDS-CS) . The admissions process is common to both streams.

The admission process for the Aug 2022 cycle comprises two phases. Phase I will be an online aptitude test on the HackerEarth platform, which serves as the first part of the evaluation and Phase II will be an in-person oral interview for all candidates who qualified in the aptitude test conducted in Phase I.

Candidates shortlisted for the online aptitude test (Phase I of interview) will receive a call letter or email from the IISc Admissions office (please login to the IISc admissions portal and check for the call letter). The aptitude test is scheduled on 10 May 2022 (Tuesday) at 3 pm . You will receive a separate email from the CDS department for your test and instructions such as the test link, rules, guidelines, practice test, etc. This online aptitude test is of 75 minutes duration. This will have multiple choice and programming questions as per the syllabus given below. 

The Phase II in-person oral interview is only for students who qualified in the online aptitude test conducted in Phase I. The day after the aptitude test, an email with the results will be sent to you. In case you qualify, your interview date and session will be as listed in the call letter from IISc Admissions Office. The syllabus for the interview (similar to the aptitude test, with lab-specific readings) is also given in detail below.

About a week before the oral interview, the shortlisted candidates will be sent an email from the CDS department to fill out an online student information Google form . This must be completed and submitted in order to participate in the oral interview. As part of this, candidates should choose up to three labs for which they will be considered. These labs are described below. Orientation sessions and lab introductions to help candidates make the right choice based on their interest will be conducted online through webinars for which shortlisted candidates will be invited.

Pre-interview familiarization of CDS and lab introductions will be conducted through webinars and dates will be displayed on the CDS Research Admissions Website.

Online Aptitude Test

The Phase I online objective and programming test will be conducted using the “HackerEarth” online platform. Candidates will need a desktop/laptop with an internet connection, Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers, and a webcam . Candidates will be sent an email with a link to the online test a few days before the test date. The test will be enabled at the start of your session and will last for 75 mins. It must be completed in a single sitting. You will need to create a free HackerEarth account to take the test. You MUST use the same email address as the one used for your IISc Admissions Application. Please do this ahead of time. That email will also have another link to let you take a practice test , to test your browser and webcam, and get familiar with HackerEarth. These practice questions are not from the test syllabus. Candidates may take the practice test as many times as they want. Candidates should get familiar with the programming IDE, compilation, and testing interface of HackerEarth to ensure that the programming questions are attempted properly.

The online aptitude test will have 15 questions. There will be 12 multiple choice questions and 3 programming questions. The topics for the objective test are:

• Combinatorics, Linear Algebra/Matrices, Probability and Statistics, Differential Equations, Plotting, Data Structures and Algorithms.

The programming languages that you can use are C, C++ and Java . The HackerEarth interface will allow you to type the program, compile it and run test cases, all within the browser. We will provide a basic code template for reading and writing the inputs and outputs for each problem. The candidates should focus on the actual code logic and brush up on concepts such as if/then/else conditions, for/while loops and arrays/data structures.

Students are encouraged to first solve the problems that they are comfortable with and then move on to more difficult problems.

Sample questions from previous year tests are available here .

In-Person Oral Interview

Students who qualify in the online aptitude test (Phase I of the interview) will attend an in-person oral interview at the CDS Department, IISc (Phase II of the interview). In the oral interview, you will be questioned on the following basic topics, and on advanced topics that are based on your lab preferences:

Basic Topics : Linear Algebra; Probability & Statistics; Programming, Data Structures, Algorithms; Numerical Methods; Ordinary Differential Equations; Discrete Mathematics.  Final year undergraduate level preparation is required.

Advanced Topics: You will be questioned on the topics related to labs selected in the student information Google form. The topics for each lab and the prior training expected are listed below. Candidates choosing a lab must be prepared on at least one of the lab-related interview topics.

Note: Most labs give preference to applicants for the Ph.D. program over the M.Tech. (Research) program. Some labs may not even take any students for the M.Tech. (Research) program. Students with a B.E./B.Tech degree are also eligible to apply for the Ph.D. program.

Candidates for the Ph.D. program should prepare well on their fundamentals, come with a focus and knowledge of the research areas they would like to target in their PhD, and have clarity on the preferred lab(s) and the kind of work done in them. Review the research topics and the papers from the labs you are interested in.

The 2022 Research Admission Brochure can be viewed here :

Recent News

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How Can I Get a PhD in IISc?

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore is renowned for its cutting-edge research and academic excellence. It is highly reputed in India as well as the world for its reputed academic programs and research output. Getting a PhD in IISc is a dream for most research enthusiasts in India. If you want to pursue a PhD at IISc, this blog will help you understand the path needed to get admission to this renowned institute.

In this blog, we will discuss:

• Should I do a PhD at IISc?
• What path should I follow?
• Selection Processes

Should I Do a PhD at IISc?

IISc offers a wide array of research areas spanning various disciplines in Engineering and Science. Some highly reputed researchers and professors are popular globally in their fields. With this level of reputation, IISc never compromises the quality of the curriculum for its programmes. This makes PhD a tough task but it becomes the finest among that by any other institute. The level of exposure and experience you can get here is unparalleled and it opens the door to too many opportunities that would not have been possible without IISc. Thus, getting a PhD at IISc is a tough but worthy task.

Check out this blog to find out why IISc is so famous.

What Path Should I Follow?

You should remember that a PhD is not a simple thing to do. It is far more difficult and exhausting than bachelor’s or master’s programmes. You must be completely sure whether you want to commit to the hardship and should be ultimately interested in your field before applying. Here are some important points:

• Identify your research interests and keep an open mind for alternatives, including interdisciplinary streams to yours.
• You can join internships during your undergraduate for experience in research, which will give you insight into how your PhD might look like. Also, supervisors during your internships may agree to supervise your MS thesis or PhD, so keeping a healthy connection with them is advantageous.
• After you know your interest and field, you should look for potential supervisors whose work aligns with your aspirations. 
• There are so many researchers at IISc, so you must observe closely whose work interests you the most. You can take reviews on their supervision from their students at IISc or former students. Investing a good amount of your time in making these choices is essential because these will determine how your PhD will go. 
• You may begin searching for potential supervisors a year before the conclusion of your undergraduate degree. 

Selection Processes:

There are two types of PhD programs in IISc: Regular and Integrated. The Regular PhD programme is a post-master’s degree programme and typically lasts five years. The integrated programme is a post-bachelor degree programme and involves a master’s and PhD. IISc offers these programs in many fields, such as physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, engineering, etc. The admission processes and eligibility criteria are different for each program and also depend on the field you are interested in.

Eligibility-

Eligibility varies from department to department, but here are some general guidelines and standards for all departments in IISc:

• You must have a bachelor’s degree (in your field or other related fields) if you apply for an integrated PhD and a master’s degree if applying for a Regular PhD programme. Some departments might require you to have a threshold CGPA or grades, which you can check on their official website.
• You must have qualified for the IIT-JAM (Joint Admission Test for Masters) exam if you are applying for an integrated PhD. JEST (Joint Entrance Screening Test) scores are also valid for physics.
• If you apply for a Regular PhD, you must have GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) scores. NET JRF (National Eligibility Test for Junior Research Fellowship) scores are acceptable.

While these are the general eligibility criteria, there are specific eligibility criteria for some departments, which you can check on their website . JAM, GATE, or JEST cutoffs vary from department to department and for reservation categories. Please check the same on their website for detailed information.

Admission Process-

It is important to familiarize yourself with the PhD admission process at IISc and keep yourself updated on the same. You need to submit an application mentioning your grades, degrees, scores of qualifying exams, and a few other things. You will be called for an interview based on your application and scores in the qualifying exams mentioned above. 

You must craft a compelling application highlighting your academic achievements, research experience, and a well-defined research proposal. Your application will decide whether you will appear for an interview or not. Tailor your application to demonstrate a precise alignment with the research interests of potential supervisors. It is important to keep an eye on their website for the latest updates and changes regarding applications.

Fellowship Opportunities-

We encourage you to apply for prestigious fellowships like the CSIR-NET, UGC-NET, or INSPIRE. Securing a fellowship not only provides financial support but also enhances your profile. Often, departments give some preference to students who have such prestigious scholarships. PhD students at IISc get various fellowships like JRF (Rs. 31,000), SRF (Rs. 35,000), and many others from organizations like DST, UGC, etc.

Conclusion:

Getting a PhD degree at IISc is challenging but highly rewarding. You must prepare hard for the above-mentioned qualifying exams and interviews and, most importantly, learn how to draft an attractive application. Start connecting to professors while in your bachelor’s degree itself. Pursuing a PhD is a difficult choice and requires you to be patient and hard-working. If you remain consistent with your learning and passion, you will eventually get into your dream institute for a PhD. You can check out our workshop on scientific writing and internship, which will help you excel in your field.

Check out this blog to know how a dropper can get into IISc.

Ques: What is IISc?

Ans : IISc Bangalore is one of the best institutes for scientific research in India and the world.     It stands for the Indian Institute of Science.

Ques: What are some of the best institutes in India for PhD in Science?

Ans: IISc, IITs, IISERs, NISER, Delhi University, Banaras Hindu University, etc are some of the best institutes in India for PhD.

Ques: Is it mandatory to have a GATE score for admission to a Ph.D. program at IISc?

Ans: GATE is mandatory if you want to join Regular PhD programs.

Ques: Are there fellowships or financial assistance available for PhD students at IISc?

Ans: Yes, IISc offers various fellowships and financial assistance schemes to support Ph.D. students. These include institute-funded fellowships, external scholarships, and research project assistantships.

Ques: How long does it take to complete a Ph.D. at IISc?

Ans: The duration of a PhD program at IISc is typically five years, depending on the field of study, the nature of the research work, and individual progress.

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