<p>IISc, the century-old research institute housed in the Garden City lets a research enthusiast explore newer facets of scientific research and academic excellence in six divisions of science, such as biological sciences, chemical sciences, physical and mathematical sciences, electrical sciences, mechanical sciences, and earth and environmental sciences. It offers a bundle of opportunities with post-master’s Ph.D. programmes in a single discipline as well as multi-disciplines, post-graduate integrated Ph.D. programmes, apart from M.Sc. (Engg), M.E., M.Tech., M.Des. programmes.<br /><br />With research work both in traditional areas and emerging areas, IISc forms the perfect destination for students zealous of pursuing advanced research in frontier areas of science, technology and engineering. The Institute is a forum for both fundamental research (to understand some particular phenomenon) and applied research (to solve specific problems).<br /><br />The chairman of the Mechanical Engineering Department at IISc, Prof Jaywant H Arakeri, illustrates: “Emerging areas, like MEMS and bio-mechanics, are often interdisciplinary in character and work at the interface of several areas, like mechanics and biology. However, there are several unsolved and important problems in traditional areas, like manufacturing, turbulent combustion and fracture mechanics which require study.”<br /><br />More than 70 per cent of the student body of IISc comprises of research students, and every year, the Institute awards about 200 Ph.D. and M.Sc (Engg) degrees. While separate departments with laboratory and instrumental facilities on par with national and international standards support specialised research work, inter-departmental interactions address cross-disciplinary needs. Apart from reputed regular faculty, visiting professors and honorary fellows, visiting chairs and endowed lectures form part of the normal business.<br /><br />Who can get admission?<br /><br />“Ideally, a student who is curious, wanting to know how things work or are keen on building something new should take up a research career; such a person would be very unhappy in any other career, say, in the IT industry. In this respect, researchers are somewhat like artists,” says Prof Jaywant.<br /><br />*Master’s degree holders in any branch of science/ mathematics/ statistics/computer applications/ pharmacy/ veterinary science/ agriculture/ humanities <br /><br />*Bachelor’s degree holders in engineering/ technology/ medicine/ architecture/ biotechnology<br /><br />*Master’s degree holders in engineering/ technology/ architecture or its equivalent<br /><br />*Bachelor’s degree holders in science/ mathematics/ statistics/ computer Science/ electronics, followed by passing examinations held by professional societies can apply for admission to the concerned departments. <br /><br />*Those who have pursued an MBA or its equivalent subsequent to BE/BTech can also apply for admission to the Management Studies department.<br /><br />While a prospective candidate must have secured at least a second class in the qualifying examinations, the selection is further dependent on his/her performance in the entrance test and subsequent interview held by the Institute. Selection procedures are usually held during early June, and admission formalities are completed by the end of July. The sessions commence from August.<br /><br />Integrated PhD for graduates<br /><br />Motivated graduates can pursue advanced research in frontier areas of biological, chemical, physical and mathematical sciences leading to a Ph.D. degree through the Integrated Ph.D. programme. Students entering this programme save about a year when compared to those who join a regular Ph.D. programme after completing their Master's degree.<br /><br />The Integrated programme has flexible course work, internship-type laboratory training, a research project to attain a high degree of scientific ability followed by advanced research leading to a Ph.D. thesis on a specific topic. Every year, 42 students are admitted to the Integrated Ph.D. programmes.<br /><br />Additionally, inter-disciplinary programmes are available in chemical biology where chemical, physical and engineering principles are applied to the study of biology, the basis of disease processes and therapies, and also in the field of nano-science and nano-technology.<br /><br />Fees and facilities<br /><br />A student will have to pay Rs. 13,000 for an Integrated Ph.D., ME/M Tech/ M Des or MSc (Engineering) programme, and Rs 16,500 for the Ph.D. programme, per year under various heads. Concessions and reservations are available for SC/ST and physically handicapped students.<br /><br />Facilities at the campus include hostels, gymkhana, a rich library, health centre, specialied laboratories, and a Super Computer Education and Research Centre facilitating high performance computing. All students of IISc, other than those in sponsored programmes, are provided with scholarships and fellowships from institutes like CSIR or UGC.<br /><br />Ample opportunities<br /><br />The research tenure at IISc is not only to expand one’s knowledge base, but also to lead to higher levels of academic or career opportunities. Prof. Jaywant Arakeri explains: “Many of the Ph.D. students eventually join academics, or join government R&D organisations like ISRO, DRDO, NAL, and industry R&D labs. A few become entrepreneurs too. Thus there are a large number of opportunities, which are increasing rapidly, in both public and private sectors.”<br /><br />With collaborations and interactions with leading industry players, the Institute has a notable track record for placements.<br /><br />Centres of Excellence<br /><br />The Bioinformatics Centre at the IISc is recognised as a Centre of Excellence in structural biology and bio-computing, while the Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit is a recognised centre for advanced study in solid state chemistry. <br /><br />The department of Physics, established in 1933 by eminent scientist, Sir C V Raman, is a UGC-recognised centre for advanced study. It has facilities for post-graduate research and advanced instruction in areas like condensed matter physics, atomic spectroscopy, bio-crystallography and astronomy and astrophysics.<br /><br />The Mathematics department has an active research faculty with diverse interests in topics like algebraic and combinatorial topology, commutative algebra and algebraic geometry, probability and stochastic processes, mathematical finance, time series analysis, statistics, lie algebras. The departments concerning biological sciences deal with research projects in cell and molecular biology, molecular genetics structure, reproductive biology, developmental biology, cancer research, computational biology, etc.<br /><br />The other major departments at IISc are inorganic and physical chemistry, organic chemistry, aerospace engineering, chemical engineering, and materials engineering, civil engineering, management studies, and electrical communication engineering.<br /><br />For further details, contact: The Registrar, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-560012.<br />Phone: 23600757, 2293 2004/2228/2001 E-mail: regr@admin.iisc.ernet.in<br />Official Website: www.iisc.ernet.in<br /><br />New Centres<br /><br />*Centre for Neuroscience<br /><br />Established in 2009, the Centre for Neuroscience offers Ph.D. and Integrated Ph.D. programmes and deals with brain diseases, brain development and brain function during higher cognitive processes. Molecular mechanisms underlying pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease; understanding drug metabolism in the human brain, molecular determinants of plasticity; visuo-motor control and decision-making are some current research topics at this Centre.<br /><br />Associate Professor at the Neuroscience Centre, Shyamala Mani, explains the relevance of research in Neuroscience: “Understanding the brain is the next big frontier of human knowledge. If we understood how the brain functions and are able to control our activity, we might be in a better position to repair lost functions like in Parkinson’s disease or Alzeihmer’s disease. This is very important because brain diseases are increasing in India as people live longer.”<br /><br />“Neuroscience is a multidisciplinary endeavour. Therefore, an interested student has to have an open mind and be willing to use knowledge from different disciplines to answer questions about brain structure and function,” Prof Shyamala says and adds: “Our Centre is unique in that it has scientific investigators trained in biology, mathematics, computer science, engineering and psychology. No other centre possesses this diversity of interest and wide ranging specialisation.”<br /><br />*Centre for Climate Change<br /><br />The Divecha Centre for Climate Change, established two years back aims to understand climate variability and climate change, their impact on the environment, and to identify technologies to mitigate climate change. The Centre facilitates interdisciplinary work with the centres for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Earth and Ecological Sciences, Sustainable Technology along with other engineering departments.<br /><br />*Centre for Earth Sciences<br /><br />Commissioned in July 2007, the Centre promotes interdisciplinary research into the processes that shape the Earth’s surface and assess their impact on the geosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. It aims at quality education in basic and applied earth sciences, and use of current technologies and skills to address global and India-specific problems.<br /><br />Seismotectonics, earthquake geology, seismic hazard analysis, isotope geochemistry, geochronology, metamorphism, tectonics form the main research areas. Current projects include exposing geological evidence of past earthquakes and assessing recurrence, reconstructing the earthquake and tsunami history, predicting and constraining tsunami recurrence. Research, education, and manpower development in the discipline of earth processes is funded by the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences.</p>
<p>IISc, the century-old research institute housed in the Garden City lets a research enthusiast explore newer facets of scientific research and academic excellence in six divisions of science, such as biological sciences, chemical sciences, physical and mathematical sciences, electrical sciences, mechanical sciences, and earth and environmental sciences. It offers a bundle of opportunities with post-master’s Ph.D. programmes in a single discipline as well as multi-disciplines, post-graduate integrated Ph.D. programmes, apart from M.Sc. (Engg), M.E., M.Tech., M.Des. programmes.<br /><br />With research work both in traditional areas and emerging areas, IISc forms the perfect destination for students zealous of pursuing advanced research in frontier areas of science, technology and engineering. The Institute is a forum for both fundamental research (to understand some particular phenomenon) and applied research (to solve specific problems).<br /><br />The chairman of the Mechanical Engineering Department at IISc, Prof Jaywant H Arakeri, illustrates: “Emerging areas, like MEMS and bio-mechanics, are often interdisciplinary in character and work at the interface of several areas, like mechanics and biology. However, there are several unsolved and important problems in traditional areas, like manufacturing, turbulent combustion and fracture mechanics which require study.”<br /><br />More than 70 per cent of the student body of IISc comprises of research students, and every year, the Institute awards about 200 Ph.D. and M.Sc (Engg) degrees. While separate departments with laboratory and instrumental facilities on par with national and international standards support specialised research work, inter-departmental interactions address cross-disciplinary needs. Apart from reputed regular faculty, visiting professors and honorary fellows, visiting chairs and endowed lectures form part of the normal business.<br /><br />Who can get admission?<br /><br />“Ideally, a student who is curious, wanting to know how things work or are keen on building something new should take up a research career; such a person would be very unhappy in any other career, say, in the IT industry. In this respect, researchers are somewhat like artists,” says Prof Jaywant.<br /><br />*Master’s degree holders in any branch of science/ mathematics/ statistics/computer applications/ pharmacy/ veterinary science/ agriculture/ humanities <br /><br />*Bachelor’s degree holders in engineering/ technology/ medicine/ architecture/ biotechnology<br /><br />*Master’s degree holders in engineering/ technology/ architecture or its equivalent<br /><br />*Bachelor’s degree holders in science/ mathematics/ statistics/ computer Science/ electronics, followed by passing examinations held by professional societies can apply for admission to the concerned departments. <br /><br />*Those who have pursued an MBA or its equivalent subsequent to BE/BTech can also apply for admission to the Management Studies department.<br /><br />While a prospective candidate must have secured at least a second class in the qualifying examinations, the selection is further dependent on his/her performance in the entrance test and subsequent interview held by the Institute. Selection procedures are usually held during early June, and admission formalities are completed by the end of July. The sessions commence from August.<br /><br />Integrated PhD for graduates<br /><br />Motivated graduates can pursue advanced research in frontier areas of biological, chemical, physical and mathematical sciences leading to a Ph.D. degree through the Integrated Ph.D. programme. Students entering this programme save about a year when compared to those who join a regular Ph.D. programme after completing their Master's degree.<br /><br />The Integrated programme has flexible course work, internship-type laboratory training, a research project to attain a high degree of scientific ability followed by advanced research leading to a Ph.D. thesis on a specific topic. Every year, 42 students are admitted to the Integrated Ph.D. programmes.<br /><br />Additionally, inter-disciplinary programmes are available in chemical biology where chemical, physical and engineering principles are applied to the study of biology, the basis of disease processes and therapies, and also in the field of nano-science and nano-technology.<br /><br />Fees and facilities<br /><br />A student will have to pay Rs. 13,000 for an Integrated Ph.D., ME/M Tech/ M Des or MSc (Engineering) programme, and Rs 16,500 for the Ph.D. programme, per year under various heads. Concessions and reservations are available for SC/ST and physically handicapped students.<br /><br />Facilities at the campus include hostels, gymkhana, a rich library, health centre, specialied laboratories, and a Super Computer Education and Research Centre facilitating high performance computing. All students of IISc, other than those in sponsored programmes, are provided with scholarships and fellowships from institutes like CSIR or UGC.<br /><br />Ample opportunities<br /><br />The research tenure at IISc is not only to expand one’s knowledge base, but also to lead to higher levels of academic or career opportunities. Prof. Jaywant Arakeri explains: “Many of the Ph.D. students eventually join academics, or join government R&D organisations like ISRO, DRDO, NAL, and industry R&D labs. A few become entrepreneurs too. Thus there are a large number of opportunities, which are increasing rapidly, in both public and private sectors.”<br /><br />With collaborations and interactions with leading industry players, the Institute has a notable track record for placements.<br /><br />Centres of Excellence<br /><br />The Bioinformatics Centre at the IISc is recognised as a Centre of Excellence in structural biology and bio-computing, while the Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit is a recognised centre for advanced study in solid state chemistry. <br /><br />The department of Physics, established in 1933 by eminent scientist, Sir C V Raman, is a UGC-recognised centre for advanced study. It has facilities for post-graduate research and advanced instruction in areas like condensed matter physics, atomic spectroscopy, bio-crystallography and astronomy and astrophysics.<br /><br />The Mathematics department has an active research faculty with diverse interests in topics like algebraic and combinatorial topology, commutative algebra and algebraic geometry, probability and stochastic processes, mathematical finance, time series analysis, statistics, lie algebras. The departments concerning biological sciences deal with research projects in cell and molecular biology, molecular genetics structure, reproductive biology, developmental biology, cancer research, computational biology, etc.<br /><br />The other major departments at IISc are inorganic and physical chemistry, organic chemistry, aerospace engineering, chemical engineering, and materials engineering, civil engineering, management studies, and electrical communication engineering.<br /><br />For further details, contact: The Registrar, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-560012.<br />Phone: 23600757, 2293 2004/2228/2001 E-mail: regr@admin.iisc.ernet.in<br />Official Website: www.iisc.ernet.in<br /><br />New Centres<br /><br />*Centre for Neuroscience<br /><br />Established in 2009, the Centre for Neuroscience offers Ph.D. and Integrated Ph.D. programmes and deals with brain diseases, brain development and brain function during higher cognitive processes. Molecular mechanisms underlying pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease; understanding drug metabolism in the human brain, molecular determinants of plasticity; visuo-motor control and decision-making are some current research topics at this Centre.<br /><br />Associate Professor at the Neuroscience Centre, Shyamala Mani, explains the relevance of research in Neuroscience: “Understanding the brain is the next big frontier of human knowledge. If we understood how the brain functions and are able to control our activity, we might be in a better position to repair lost functions like in Parkinson’s disease or Alzeihmer’s disease. This is very important because brain diseases are increasing in India as people live longer.”<br /><br />“Neuroscience is a multidisciplinary endeavour. Therefore, an interested student has to have an open mind and be willing to use knowledge from different disciplines to answer questions about brain structure and function,” Prof Shyamala says and adds: “Our Centre is unique in that it has scientific investigators trained in biology, mathematics, computer science, engineering and psychology. No other centre possesses this diversity of interest and wide ranging specialisation.”<br /><br />*Centre for Climate Change<br /><br />The Divecha Centre for Climate Change, established two years back aims to understand climate variability and climate change, their impact on the environment, and to identify technologies to mitigate climate change. The Centre facilitates interdisciplinary work with the centres for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Earth and Ecological Sciences, Sustainable Technology along with other engineering departments.<br /><br />*Centre for Earth Sciences<br /><br />Commissioned in July 2007, the Centre promotes interdisciplinary research into the processes that shape the Earth’s surface and assess their impact on the geosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. It aims at quality education in basic and applied earth sciences, and use of current technologies and skills to address global and India-specific problems.<br /><br />Seismotectonics, earthquake geology, seismic hazard analysis, isotope geochemistry, geochronology, metamorphism, tectonics form the main research areas. Current projects include exposing geological evidence of past earthquakes and assessing recurrence, reconstructing the earthquake and tsunami history, predicting and constraining tsunami recurrence. Research, education, and manpower development in the discipline of earth processes is funded by the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences.</p>
