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NCRA Pune
NCRA's PhD programme
NCRA offers exciting opportunities for cutting-edge research in Astronomy and Astrophysics, and Instrumentation, with an emphasis on Radio Astronomy. Areas of research at NCRA include theoretical and observational cosmology, quasars and active galactic nucleii, radio galaxies, nearby galaxies, the interstellar medium, pulsars and neutron stars, solar physics, and the Milky Way, as well as techniques of synthesis imaging and image processing. NCRA-TIFR has built and operates the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope, which is located near Pune, and is the biggest and most powerful radio telescope in the world at low radio frequencies.
Research Scholars in NCRA's PhD programme are selected on the basis of a written test, either the Joint Entrance Screening Test (JEST) or the IUCAA-NCRA Admission Test (INAT), and two interviews, usually conducted jointly with the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics. The INAT written test and interviews typically take place in the last week of December or the first week of January every year. The JEST written test is usually in mid-February, with the NCRA interviews taking place in early July. In addition, NCRA also pre-selects Research Scholars from our Visiting Student Research Programme, conducted every summer in Pune.
Before registering for a Ph.D., NCRA students are required to satisfactorily complete the NCRA Graduate School. This consists of a set of Physics and Astronomy courses in the first year (in the first two years for students in the Integrated Ph.D. programme), followed by six months of research projects.
Eligibility:
Research Scholars should have completed their M.Sc., B.E/B.Tech. or B.Sc. degrees before joining NCRA. Students from the Physics, Electronics, Astronomy or Applied Mathematics branches of the M.Sc. degree or from any of the B.E. or B.Tech. streams, are eligible for NCRA's Ph.D. programme., while students with a B.Sc. degree are eligible for NCRA's Integrated Ph.D. programme.
Stipends:
NCRA Research Scholars (both in the Ph.D. and Integrated Ph.D. programmes) are paid a monthly stipend of Rs. 16,000/-. The stipend is raised to Rs. 18,000/- per month on registration for a Ph.D. degree (typically after 2 years). Research Scholars also have an annual contingency grant of Rs. 20,000/- per year, tenable up to 5 years. Research scholarships are renewed annually, based on a review of the student's performance. Research Scholars in the Ph.D. programme are expected to complete their doctoral studies within five years of joining the institute., while students in the Integrated Ph.D. programme are expected to complete their doctoral studies within six years.
Graduate School norms:
Detailed guidelines governing the Research Scholar programme are available here.
