Jawaharlal Nehru Post-Doctoral Fellowships

The National Centre for Radio Astrophysics of the Tata Institute for Fundamental Research (NCRA-TIFR) at Pune, India, invites applications for Jawaharlal Nehru Post-Doctoral Fellowships.

The Jawaharlal Nehru Post-Doctoral Fellowships are prestigious post-doctoral positions, initiated to mark the golden jubilee of the inauguration of the main TIFR-Mumbai campus, by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in 1962. Applications are invited for these fellowships, to be hosted at NCRA-TIFR, from young scientists of exceptional intellectual calibre. Candidates are required to have at least one year of post-doctoral experience before taking up the Fellowship. The Jawaharlal Nehru Prize post-doctoral fellowships are tenable for a period of 3 years, with continuations subject to a yearly review; a further extension up to a maximum total duration of 5 years would be possible based on outstanding performance.

Research activities at NCRA-TIFR are centred on low-frequency radio astronomy, where NCRA-TIFR operates the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT), a major international facility. NCRA-TIFR offers challenging opportunities to work at the frontiers of astronomy and astrophysics, as well as instrumentation and software development. Faculty members carry out research in a wide range of areas, including solar physics, pulsars, active galactic nuclei, the interstellar medium, supernova remnants, the Galactic Centre, nearby galaxies, high-redshift galaxies, fundamental constant evolution, observational and theoretical cosmology, and the epoch of reionization. NCRA-TIFR also operates another large observational facility, the Ooty Radio Telescope (ORT).

Post-Doctoral Fellows at NCRA-TIFR are expected to pursue a vigorous independent research programme. We encourage applicants with backgrounds in radio astronomy, as well as other fields including theory, algorithm research, and observations in other wavebands. We especially encourage applicants whose research interests have potential synergies with radio astronomical studies or engineering activities, or which require a close engagement with the GMRT or the ORT.

Applications for the Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowships, containing a curriculum vitae, a research plan, and the names and e-mail addresses of three or more referees, should be sent to the Dean, NCRA-TIFR Faculty, at the e-mail address dean_nf@ncra.tifr.res.in, by November 30, 2023.  Applicants should also request their referees to send in recommendation letters by the same deadline. All enquiries should also be made to this e-mail address. All applicants will automatically be considered for all available Post-Doctoral Fellowships at NCRA-TIFR.

The selection of Jawaharlal Nehru Fellows will be carried out by a special committee chaired by the Director, TIFR-Mumbai. At any given time, there will be only 12 Nehru Fellows hosted by TIFR, including all its Centres.

The monthly salary of Jawaharlal Nehru Post-Doctoral Fellows depends on experience after the doctoral degree, and ranges from INR 55,000 to INR 75,000. Post-doctoral fellows at NCRA-TIFR are also entitled to a contingency grant of INR 40,000 per year, and are provided a travel grant of INR 3,00,000 over the course of the fellowship to enable them to travel for international conferences or for research  collaborations. They are also entitled to a house rent allowance, and medical coverage under NCRA-TIFR's medical scheme.

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