PhD Admission, Life Sciences at NCCS Pune

About the position

National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS), Pune invites applications for admission to its PhD programme for the March 2027 session. Research areas include Cell and Molecular Biology, Structural Biology, Bioinformatics, Systems Biology, Neuroscience, Immunology, Infection Biology, Cancer Biology and Microbial Ecology. The number of seats is not stated in the notice. Candidates with a valid JRF fellowship or those who have appeared in the JGEEBILS exam may apply.

Eligibility

Candidates must possess a postgraduate degree in any branch of science with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent GPA (5% relaxation for SC/ST/OBC and PwD candidates as per Government of India norms). Candidates must additionally hold a valid fellowship from CSIR, UGC, DBT (Category 1), ICMR or BINC, OR have appeared in the JGEEBILS examination conducted by NCBS/TIFR in December 2025. Candidates qualified only for Lectureship (LS) in CSIR-UGC NET, DBT (Category II), GATE, ICAR, or listed under the ICMR Project category are not eligible to apply. Upper age limit for JRF is 28 years as on 1 March 2027, with relaxation as per Government of India guidelines.

Fellowship / pay

Fellowship terms will be as per the funding agency granting the fellowship. NCCS states it will not be responsible for providing fellowships, except for a limited number of fellowships offered to selected JGEEBILS category students.

How to apply

1. Submit the application exclusively through the online portal (a Gmail account is required).
2. Attach self-attested copies of relevant category certificates (SC/ST/OBC/PWD/EWS) where applicable.
3. For technical queries, contact academics@nccs.res.in with subject line "Ph.D. Admission Query".
4. Watch the NCCS website (https://nccs.res.in/Career/1) for shortlist and interview updates.