Fantastic News: IISER Kolkata PhD Admission 2025-26 Announced!
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata
Introduction to IISER Kolkata PhD Admission 2025-26
The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata, invites remarkable and motivated candidates for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programme for the Spring 2026 semester. This is an opportunity for eligible candidates to pursue advanced research in a variety of scientific and academic disciplines. The details of the admission process for the IISER Kolkata PhD Admission 2025-26 are provided below.
Applicants are strongly advised to review the research areas and faculty profiles on the official institute and department websites before submitting their applications. For additional ongoing PhD opportunities, you can visit Ongoing PhD Admissions 2025-26.
Table of Contents
- General Information
- Department of Biological Sciences (DBS)
- Department of Computational and Data Sciences (CDS)
- Department of Earth Sciences (DES)
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS)
- Department of Mathematics (DMS)
- Department of Physical Sciences (Physics)
- Important Dates
- Minimum Eligibility Criteria
- Shortlisting & Interview Process
- Application Process & Important Points
General Information for IISER Kolkata PhD Admission 2025-26
The IISER Kolkata PhD Admission 2025-26 invites applications for the Doctor of Philosophy Programme across several departments for the Spring 2026 semester. The application portal closes on 12.10.2025.
Department of Biological Sciences (DBS)
The Department of Biological Sciences is accepting applications for the Ph.D. program with various research areas, including Inter-disciplinary Biology, Biophysics, Cell Biology, Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Disease Biology, Microbiology and Marine Biology, Synthetic Biology and Biotherapeutics, Theoretical and Computational Biology, and Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution.
| Discipline | Faculty Members |
|---|---|
| Inter-disciplinary Biology | Sunil Kumar Khare, Supratim Datta, Amirul Islam Mallick, Punyasloke Bhadury |
| Biophysics, Biochemistry, and Structural Biology | Amit Kumar Mandal, Bidisha Sinha, Neelanjana Sengupta, Partha Pratim Datta, Rahul Das, Rituparna Sinha Roy |
| Theoretical biophysics, Mathematical Biology and Soft Matter Physics | Dipjyoti Das |
| Cell Biology and Protein Biochemistry | Sankar Maiti |
| Developmental and Stem Cell Biology | Malancha Ta, Mohit Prasad |
| Disease Biology | Amirul Islam Mallick, Amit Kumar Mandal, Jayasri Das Sarma, Partha Pratim Datta, Rahul Das, Rituparna Sinha Roy, Rupak Datta, Sumit Sen Santara |
| Microbiology and Marine Biology | Amirul Islam Mallick, Partha Pratim Datta, Punyasloke Bhadury, Robert John Chandran |
| Synthetic Biology and Biotherapeutics | Supratim Datta, Rituparna Sinha Roy |
| Theoretical and Computational Biology | Dipjyoti Das, Neelanjana Sengupta, Partha Pratim Datta, Rituparna Sinha Roy |
| Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution | Annagiri Sumana, Anuradha Bhat, Punyasloke Bhadury, Radhika Venkatesan, Robert John Chandran |
Department of Computational and Data Sciences (CDS)
The Department of Computational and Data Sciences at IISER Kolkata is seeking applicants for the regular Ph.D. program in the Spring semester, 2026. The research areas include Data Mining, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Causal Reasoning in Intelligent Systems with applications in critical fields such as Medicine, Law, and Finance.
| Discipline | Faculty Members |
|---|---|
| Computational and Data Sciences | Dr. Monidipa Das, Dr. Saptarshi Pyne |
Department of Earth Sciences (DES)
Applications are invited for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program in the Department of Earth Sciences. There are two channels for application: Externally funded (Channel 1) and Institute-funded (Channel 2).
| Research Area | Faculty Members & Research Themes |
|---|---|
| Paleontology (Channel 1) | Dr. Subhronil Mondal: Evolutionary patterns and processes of marine invertebrates |
| Environmental Sciences (Channel 1) | Dr. Gopala Krishna Darbha: Environmental nanoscience and hydrogeochemistry, pollutant distribution, micro- to nano-plastics, and remediation using eco-friendly materials |
| Seismology (Channel 1 & 2) | Dr. Kajaljyoti Borah: Evolution of Archean cratons and 3D-shear velocity anisotropic structure in the Indo-Burma Ranges |
| Earth Surface Dynamics (Channel 1 & 2) | Dr. Sanjay Kumar Mandal: Tectonics and Landscape Evolution, Cosmogenic Nuclide Applications, and Sedimentology and Basin Evolution, focusing on the Himalayan orogenic system |
| Aerosol and Air Quality Research (Channel 1 & 2) | Dr. Debananda Roy: Air Quality Management and Modelling, investigation of indoor and outdoor air quality, emerging pollutants (microplastics, black carbon), and human health risk assessment |
| Igneous Petrology and Precambrian crustal evolution (Channel 1 & 2) | Prof. Sukanta Dey: Continental crust formation in Early Earth, studying granite-greenstone belt rocks |
| Near-surface isotope and trace element geochemistry (Channel 1 & 2) | Prof. Tarun K. Dalai: Fate of biospheric and petrogenic carbon, behavior of elements and isotopes, and cycling of redox-sensitive elements |
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS)
The Department of Humanities and Social Sciences is inviting applications for the Doctor of Philosophy Programme with a focus on Economics. Candidates interested in empirical research in development economics, public policy, and taxation are particularly encouraged to apply.
Department of Mathematics (DMS)
The Department of Mathematics is inviting applications for the Ph.D. program in the following research areas:
| Research Area | Faculty Members |
|---|---|
| Complex Analysis, Several Variable Calculus, Functional Analysis, Measure Theory, and Linear Algebra | Anirban Banerjee |
| Combinatorics, Hypergraphs, Spectral Theory | – |
Eligible candidates must have qualified for CSIR, UGC, NBHM, or equivalent fellowships. The interviews will cover topics such as Linear Algebra, Basic Analysis, Combinatorics, and Probability.
Department of Physical Sciences (Physics)
The Department of Physical Sciences is inviting applications for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program in Physics for Spring 2026. The positions are available in Condensed Matter Physics Theory.
Important Dates for IISER Kolkata PhD Admission 2025-26
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Application Portal Closes | 12.10.2025 |
| Publication of Shortlist for Interview | 15.10.2025 – 22.10.2025 |
| Selection Interview Window | 29.10.2025 – 26.11.2025 |
| Last Date of Publication of PhD Interview Results | 01.12.2025 |
| Pre-registration Portal Opens | 24.11.2025 (after publication of results) |
| PhD Registration | 29.12.2025 |
Minimum Eligibility Criteria
For the IISER Kolkata PhD Admission 2025-26, candidates must have a Master’s degree (or B.E., B.Tech., M.Tech., MBBS) with a minimum of 55% marks or equivalent in a relevant branch of science. For Physics, it is a minimum of 60% marks. A 4-year bachelor’s degree with 75% marks is also acceptable. A 5% relaxation in marks is applicable for SC/ST/OBC (non-creamy layer)/Differently-Abled, EWS and other categories.
Additionally, applicants must have one of the following qualifications:
- A National Level Eligibility Examination that provides a 5-year PhD fellowship, such as CSIR-JRF (Category I), UGC-JRF (Category I), or others.
- INSPIRE-PhD fellowship (provisional selection letter is required at the time of interview).
- For Earth Sciences, candidates can also be institute-funded if they have qualified in GATE, UGC/CSIR NET (Category 2 & 3), INSPIRE or other equivalent examinations.
Students whose final Master’s results are not yet declared can also apply, but their offer will be provisional.
Shortlisting and Interview Process
Fulfilling the minimum essential criteria does not guarantee a shortlist for interviews. Departments may set additional shortlisting criteria based on academic records and research experience. Shortlisted candidates will be informed of further details and should check the application portal regularly for updates.
Important Notes:
- Online interviews may be considered on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the potential supervisor.
- It is requested that you do not choose “No Specific Choice” as a potential PhD supervisor.
Application Process & Other Important Points
- PhD Candidates can only select faculty members as potential supervisors whose names are given in the advertisement.
- Candidates must provide their personal cell phone number and a personal e-mail address. It cannot be a guardian’s contact information.
- For any queries, candidates can contact the “PhD Helpdesk for DBS” via email: dbs.phd.application@iiserkol.ac.in.
- For Mathematics (DMS), the helpdesk email is: dms.phd.application@iiserkol.ac.in.
- The recommendation letter format can be downloaded from this link: https://apply.iiserkol.ac.in/phd/reco-format.pdf.
- Before the application deadline, applicants can edit both the potential supervisor’s name and the Statement of Purpose (SOP).
- For issues with application fees, visit the “Fees” section and click the “Refresh” link. If the problem persists, wait 2-3 days for the money to be reverted before trying again.
