IISER Pune PhD Admission 2025-26: Crucial Dates and Eligibility
Your Guide to the Doctoral Programme at IISER PuneTable of Contents
General IISER Pune PhD Admission 2025-26 Information
The IISER Pune PhD Admission 2025-26 programme is a unique combination of classroom learning and mentoring undergraduate students along with a major research component. Students interested in doctoral programmes can apply to departments including Biology, Chemistry, Data Science, Earth and Climate Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, Mathematics, and Physics. Candidates need a Master’s degree in Science / Mathematics or a four-year Bachelor’s degree with at least 60% marks (aggregate) to apply. Furthermore, applicants are expected to have qualified a national examination like CSIR-UGC NET or GATE or JEST or NBHM or JGEEBILS, etc., relevant to their research interest. Students will be selected to the PhD programme based on performance in the interviews. The application process will involve a standard non-refundable fee. See Ongoing PhD 2025-26 AdmissionEligibility for OCI Applicants
Candidates who hold non-Indian passports, but are Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) and have obtained their qualifying degree (10+2 or equivalent, Bachelor’s, and Master’s) while living (or domiciled) in India can apply through the departmental portals.
Note on IISER Pune PhD Admission: The precise application eligibility criterion for each year may vary from department to department and will be announced at the time of intake.
PhD Programme in Biology – January 2026
Research in Biology at IISER Pune encompasses both theoretical and experimental approaches. Below are the fields of research open for the IISER Pune PhD Admission 2025-26 round, along with the accepting faculty.| Research Field (Discipline) | Faculty Members Accepting Students |
|---|---|
| Ecology and Evolution (theoretical and empirical) | Deepak Barua, Ramana Athreya, Sagar Pandit, Sutirth Dey |
| Molecular Biology / Cell Biology / Biochemistry (includes cellular biophysics, developmental biology, microbiology, immunology, epigenetics, chromosome biology, and cancer biology) | Anjan Banerjee, Chaitanya Athale, Gayathri Pananghat, Girish Ratnaparkhi, Jeetender Chugh, Kundan Sengupta, Mayurika Lahiri, Nagaraj Balasubramanian, Madhusudhan M.S., Saikrishnan Kayarat, Sarita Puri, Sunish Radhakrishnan |
| Plant Biology (and plant biotechnology) | Anjan Banerjee, Deepak Barua, Sagar Pandit |
| Theoretical and Computational Biology (includes theoretical neuroscience, evolution, bioinformatics, and computational cell biology) | Chaitanya Athale, Suhita Nadkarni, Madhusudhan M. S. |
Note: Only those faculty members listed above will accept students through this specific round of PhD admissions. Applicants must check this list carefully before applying.
Biology Eligibility Criteria
Candidates must fulfil criteria A1 and any one of the criteria mentioned in A2.- A1 (Qualifying Degree):
- Degree: Master’s (or B.E., B.Tech., M.Tech., MBBS) in any branch of science including physics, chemistry, mathematics, biological sciences, ecology and environmental sciences, biodiversity, psychology or equivalent.
- Marks (General/OBC/EWS): Minimum of 60% marks in aggregate (overall percentage) or an equivalent CGPA.
- Marks (SC, ST or PwD): Minimum of 55% marks in aggregate (overall percentage) or an equivalent CGPA.
- Students whose final results in Masters or equivalent are yet to be declared can apply, but the offer will be provisional.
- A2 (National Eligibility):
- Qualified a National Eligibility exam providing a 5-year Ph.D. fellowship (CSIR-JRF or UGC-JRF or DBT-JRF-A or ICMR-JRF or DBT-BINC-JRF or RGNF or MANF or NSFSC by CSIR-UGC or NFPW, etc.). The fellowship must be valid on January 01, 2026.
- Qualified JEST or GPAT or NBHM in the last two years.
- INSPIRE-PhD fellowship (provisional selection letter required at the time of Interview).
- BS-MS / Masters students from any Institutes of National Importance with a CGPA 8 or above on a 10-point scale are exempted.
- Qualified GATE exams (Life Sciences, Chemistry, Eco-Evo, Biotechnology, Mathematics). The GATE score must be valid on January 01, 2026.
- Qualified JGEBILS (shortlisting based on ranks).
Important Dates for Biology PhD
| Activity | Date/Time |
|---|---|
| Starting date of applications | October 3, 2025 |
| Last date to apply | 05.00 PM, October 17, 2025 |
| Link to Application Form Available | October 3, 2025 |
PhD in Earth and Climate Science (ECS) – January 2026
The ECS Department is engaged in cutting-edge research across Climate science (e.g., climate modelling, Monsoons, Himalayan glaciers), Geology (e.g., isotope geochemistry, paleobiology, paleoclimate), and Geophysics (e.g., theoretical seismology, computational geodynamics). This is part of the IISER Pune PhD Admission 2025-26 cycle.Minimum Eligibility for ECS
- Qualifying Degree: Master’s (or BS-MS) in Geology / Applied Geology / Physics / Mathematics / Atmospheric Science / Climate Science / Engineering / Biology / Environmental Science, or related subjects. BE / BTech students may also apply.
- Marks (General): Minimum 60% marks in aggregate or a CGPA 6 out of 10 point scale.
- Marks (SC/ST and PD): Minimum 55% in aggregate or equivalent CGPA.
- National Eligibility (MUST have ONE of the following):
- NET with valid CSIR-JRF or UGC-JRF or UGC-LS or CSIR-LS or a valid GATE or JEST score. The score/rank MUST be valid at least till January 01, 2026.
- INSPIRE-PhD fellowship (provisional selection letter required at the time of interview).
- BS-MS / Masters students from any Institutes of National Importance with a CGPA 8 or above on a 10-point scale are exempted.
Important Dates for ECS PhD
| Activity | Date/Time |
|---|---|
| Starting date of Application | October 3rd, 2025 |
| Last date for Application submission | 05.00 PM, October 20th, 2025 |
| Tentative dates of Interview | Early November, 2025 |
Selection Note: Selection will be based on interviews of the short-listed candidates. The department may use additional, more stringent criteria in order to shortlist candidates depending on the number of applications received. Admission queries may be addressed to ecsphdselection@iiserpune.ac.in.
PhD in Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) – January 2026
The Department of Humanities and Social Sciences invites applications for the IISER Pune PhD Admission 2025-26 for the session starting January 2026. Applicants are welcome to work across disciplines.| Faculty Member | Research Areas |
|---|---|
| Bejoy K Thomas | Ecological Economics, Development Studies, or closely related areas |
| Pushkar Sohoni | History, History of Architecture, or closely related areas |
Note: Only those faculty members listed above will accept students through this round. Applicants must check this list carefully before applying.
Eligibility Criteria for HSS
- Qualifying Degree: Master’s (MA / MSc / MPhil / BS-MS) in Sciences, Anthropology, Archaeology, Economics, History, Philosophy, Sociology, allied disciplines and interdisciplinary areas. Applicants from Architecture, Engineering/Technology, and Medicine are eligible after a Bachelor’s degree (minimum four years).
- Marks (General): Minimum 60% aggregate marks or CGPA of 6 on a 10-point scale.
- Marks (SC/ST and PD): Minimum 55% or equivalent CGPA in aggregate.
- National Eligibility (MUST have ONE of the following):
- NET with valid CSIR-JRF or UGC-JRF or equivalent.
- CSIR-UGC NET-LS NET-PhD Eligibility or equivalent (from examinations conducted during 2023 and 2024).
- NBHM or GATE with a valid score. The score/rank MUST be valid at least till January 01, 2026.
- OR: BS-MS / Masters students from any Institutes of National Importance with a major in one of the subjects mentioned above with a CGPA 8 or above on a 10-point scale are exempted.
Candidates in the final year of the qualifying degree are eligible to apply, but final selection is subject to successful completion of the degree with required marks by the time of admission (January 01, 2026).
Important Dates for HSS PhD
| Activity | Date/Time |
|---|---|
| Starting date of applications | October 3, 2025 |
| Last date to apply | 05.00 PM, October 15, 2025 |
| Tentative Date of Interview | November 3, 2025 |
PhD in Physics – January 2026
IISER Pune invites online applications for the PhD program in Physics for the session starting in January 2026. This is part of the IISER Pune PhD Admission 2025-26 cycle. Students should check the research interests of the faculty members listed below before applying:Faculty with Vacancies for Physics PhD
- Prof. Aparna Deshpande (webpage)
- Prof. Ashna Bajpai (webpage)
- Prof. Chandrakala Meena (webpage)
- Prof. Shouvik Datta (webpage)
- Prof. Sunil Nair (webpage)
- Prof. Vijay Chikkadi (webpage)
Eligibility Criteria for Physics
- Qualifying Degree: MSc or four-year BTech or BE or BS. Degree must be completed by the time of admissions in January 2026.
- Marks (General): Minimum 60% marks in aggregate or a CGPA of 6 on a 10-point scale.
- Marks (SC, ST and PwD / VH): Minimum 55% or equivalent CGPA in aggregate.
- National Eligibility: Must have qualified the National Eligibility Test (NET) with a score in the CSIR-JRF/UGC-JRF category, valid at the time of admissions in January 2026.
Note that additional criteria, beyond the above eligibility criteria, is likely to be imposed when shortlisting candidates for interview. The final selection will be based on the candidate’s performance in the in-person interview.
Important Dates for Physics PhD
| Activity | Date/Time |
|---|---|
| Online application opens by | October 3, 2025 |
| Last date to submit applications | 05.00 PM, October 17, 2025 |
| Interview list published (tentative) | Within a week of the last date of application |
| In-person Interview Date (tentative) | November first week |