Project Associate-I in UAV Surveillance and Optimal Control at IIT Kharagpur
Job Description
Prof. Bhargav Jha in the Department of Electrical Engineering at IIT Kharagpur is recruiting a Project Associate-I for a project on optimal surveillance and area coverage strategies for unmanned aerial vehicles. The post suits graduates with a background in game theory, optimal control or guidance, and pays Rs 37,000 plus HRA for GATE or NET-qualified candidates. Apply by 24 September 2026.
At a glance
- Position: Project Associate-I (1 post), Ref. IIT/SRIC/R/SSN/2026/101
- Project: Optimal Surveillance and Area Coverage Strategies of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
- PI: Prof. Bhargav Jha, Electrical Engineering
- Pay: Rs 37,000 + HRA (NET/GATE or national exam), otherwise Rs 30,000 + HRA
- Upper age limit: 35
- Apply by: 24 September 2026 (online, no fee)
Covering an area with a team of drones, or keeping watch over it against a moving intruder, becomes an optimisation problem when fuel, sensing range and adversaries are involved. Dynamic game theory and optimal control give the tools to design strategies that are provably good, and distributed optimisation lets several UAVs coordinate.
What the role involves
- Research on optimal surveillance and area coverage strategies for UAVs
- Modelling and analysis using dynamic game theory, optimal control, distributed optimisation or guidance and control
Eligibility
- A four-year bachelor’s degree in natural or agricultural sciences, a master’s in natural or agricultural sciences, BVSc or B.Pharm, or a bachelor’s degree in engineering, technology or medicine, from a recognised university
- Past experience in any two of: dynamic game theory, optimal control, distributed optimisation, guidance and control
- Upper age limit: 35
The advertisement gives no separate details on tenure or the interview process.
Pay and duration
- Rs 37,000 per month + HRA for candidates selected through CSIR-UGC NET, GATE or a national-level exam run by central government departments and agencies
- Rs 30,000 per month + HRA for others
How to apply
Apply online through IIT Kharagpur’s SRIC staff recruitment portal, using the Apply Online button on the official advertisement. The advertisement lists no application fee. Apply before 24 September 2026. Other current SRIC project openings are on the SRIC recruitment page.
Key dates
- Last date to apply: 24 September 2026
Please read the official IIT Kharagpur SRIC advertisement before applying, and browse more research fellow positions on ResearchJobs.in.
Hiring institution: Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
Official advertisement: erp.iitkgp.ac.in
How to prepare for this application
- Name your two areas: the ad asks for experience in any two of game theory, optimal control, distributed optimisation and guidance; say which two, with the project or course where you used them.
- Bring your GATE or NET details: they decide which pay band applies, so enter the score and year correctly.
- Fill the portal form carefully: SRIC screens applications on what you enter, so give exact marks, CGPA and dates, and upload the documents it asks for.
- Check the age limit and relaxations: the upper age limit is stated in the advertisement, and relaxation for reserved categories follows institute norms.
- Contact the PI's group if unsure: faculty email addresses are on IIT Kharagpur's department pages; keep any query short and specific.
About IIT Kharagpur and SRIC
IIT Kharagpur, founded in 1951, was the first of the Indian Institutes of Technology. Its Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy (SRIC) unit manages externally funded research projects and recruits the temporary staff, such as JRFs, SRFs, project associates and project assistants, who work on them. These are project-linked posts: they last for the tenure the advertisement gives, or until the project ends.
