Introduction to IISER TVM PhD Admission 2025-26

IISER Thiruvananthapuram (TVM) PhD Admission 2025-26 is officially open for applications, inviting highly motivated students to join its prestigious Ph. D. programs. This session, known as **Vasanth 2026**, commences in January 2026. This is a truly remarkable opportunity for aspiring researchers to pursue advanced studies at a premier institution. The programs are offered across various Schools and a Centre, including **Biological Sciences**, **Chemical Sciences**, **Physical Sciences**, **Data Sciences**, **Earth, Environmental and Sustainability Sciences (EESS)**, and the **Centre for High-Performance Computing (CHPC)**. Prospective candidates must ensure they meet the rigorous eligibility requirements and submit their applications exclusively through the official online portal before the last date. The institute encourages applicants with strong research potential and relevant national-level fellowship qualifications to apply for the **IISER Thiruvananthapuram (TVM) PhD Admission 2025-26**. The selection process involves shortlisting based on marks/scores, followed by interviews, which may be conducted in online, in-person, or hybrid mode depending on the School.

Key Important Dates

Tentative Interview Dates

General Eligibility Criteria for IISER Thiruvananthapuram (TVM) PhD Admission 2025-26

The general requirements applicable to all Schools are as follows. Candidates must also satisfy the specific criteria of their chosen School/Centre.

• Academic Requirement: Minimum of 6.5 CGPA on a 10-point scale (or first-class equivalent) or first class in the Master’s program in a relevant discipline for General/OBC-NCL candidates. A minimum of 50% marks (or 5.5 CGPA) is required for SC/ST and PwD candidates.
• National Level Test: The candidate must have qualified at least one of the following examinations, with validity as on 01 January 2026: CSIR-JRF, UGC-JRF (Category-I or II or III), or GATE, or other national-level exams as specified by the respective School.
• Exemption: BS-MS/MSc/Integrated MSc students from any IISERs/IITs/IISc with a CGPA of 8.0 or above on a 10-point scale are exempted from the national level test eligibility criteria.
• IISER TVM JRFs: JRFs at IISER TVM, recruited under extramural projects, with a valid national-level qualification are also eligible.

Detailed School-wise Research Areas at IISER Thiruvananthapuram (TVM)

School of Biological Sciences

Research covers diverse fields from structure to systems, including:

• Biophysics & Biochemistry (e.g., Protein evolution, Structural Molecular Biology)
• Cell & Molecular Biology (e.g., Chromatin Organization, Gene Regulation, Plant Molecular Biology)
• Ecology & Evolution (e.g., Behavioural and Evolutionary ecology, Evolutionary Biology)
• Genetics & Development (e.g., Neurodevelopment, Stem Cells, Genome Stability)
• Infection & Immunity / Host-Pathogen Interaction
• Neurobiology / Plant Biology / Theoretical & Computational Biology (e.g., Systems Biology, Mathematical Modeling)

School of Chemical Sciences 

Research focus areas include a comprehensive mix of all major chemistry sub-disciplines:

• Synthetic Organic Chemistry & Catalysis (e.g., Asymmetric Synthesis, Cross-Coupling Reactions)
• Inorganic & Organometallic Chemistry (e.g., Small Molecule Activation, Coordination Chemistry)
• Physical & Theoretical Chemistry (e.g., Ultrafast Spectroscopy, Quantum Chemistry, Computational Materials Science)
• Materials & Supramolecular Chemistry (e.g., DNA nanotechnology, Bioinorganic Chemistry)
• Medicinal Chemistry & Chemical Biology (e.g., Computational Drug Discovery, Metabolic Chemistry)

School of Physical Sciences

The School offers opportunities in both theoretical and experimental physics:

• Experimental Physics (e.g., Superconductivity, Quantum Materials, Ultrafast Optical Spectroscopy, Biomedical Imaging, Advanced Semiconductor Devices)
• Theoretical Physics (e.g., Condensed Matter Theory, Quantum Information Theory, Beyond Standard Model Particle Physics, Theoretical Cosmology, Gravitational Waves)

School of Data Sciences

Interdisciplinary research at the intersection of computing and data analytics:

• Machine Learning & Deep Learning (e.g., Computer Vision, Medical Imaging, Emotion Recognition)
• Networking & Distributed Systems (e.g., Edge/Cloud Orchestration, B5G/6G Communication, Next-Gen Intelligent Transportation)
• Theoretical Computer Science (e.g., Algorithms and Complexity, Graph Theory)
• Statistical Methods (e.g., Statistical Inference, Reliability Theory, Longitudinal Study)
• Data Security and Privacy (using Advanced Cryptography)

School of Earth, Environmental and Sustainability Sciences (EESS)

Focusing on Earth Systems and global challenges:

• Geosciences (e.g., Igneous Petrology, Structural Geology, Tectonophysics)
• Atmosphere & Climate Sciences (e.g., Climate Modeling, Tropical Dynamics, Atmospheric Optics, Monsoon Reconstruction)
• Environmental & Aquatic Biogeochemistry (e.g., Groundwater Contaminant Transport, Estuarine Pollution, Paleoclimatic reconstruction)

Centre for High-Performance Computing (CHPC)

Research is fundamentally interdisciplinary, focused on developing and applying advanced computational methods and parallel algorithms to complex problems in all sciences.

School-Specific Eligibility Overview 

Application Process and Fee Structure for IISER TVM PhD Admission 2025-26

1. Online Application: Complete the online application form available at the official portal. Only complete applications will be considered.
2. Document Upload: Applicants will be prompted to upload all supporting documents directly online.
3. Referees: You must provide the Name, Affiliation, Contact number, and Email addresses of two referees in the application form.
4. Payment: A non-refundable processing fee must be paid online through the application portal as per the structure below.
5. Final Submission: Click the “Submit” button to finalize your application. Upon submission, you will receive an acknowledgement email with a unique application number.
6. No Hard Copy: Applicants are NOT required to post a hard copy of the application to IISER TVM.

Application Processing Fee

Important Notes for Applicants