Junior Research Fellow in Smart Materials and Robotics at DYSL-SM, DRDO (Hyderabad)
Job Description
DRDO’s Young Scientists’ Laboratory for Smart Materials in Hyderabad is holding a walk-in interview on 6 October 2026 for one Junior Research Fellow to work on shape memory alloy and piezoelectric materials for robotic applications, under advertisement DYSL-SM/HRD/JRF/REC/2026/1.
At a glance
- Position: Junior Research Fellow
- Vacancies: 1
- Where: DYSL-SM, Kanchanbagh, Hyderabad
- Field: Mechanical engineering, smart materials and robotics
- Walk-in interview: 6 October 2026 at 09:30
The Young Scientists’ Laboratories were set up to put early-career researchers in charge of frontier areas, and this one works on smart materials: accelerated materials development, micro-robotics and stealth technologies. The project behind this fellowship develops robotic applications built on shape memory alloys and piezoelectric materials, the class of materials that change shape when heated or when a voltage is applied, and so act as actuators without conventional motors.
Why this role matters
Actuation is the hard part of small robots: conventional motors do not scale down well. Working on shape memory alloys and piezoelectrics puts a young mechanical engineer at the point where materials science and robotics meet, in a laboratory deliberately built around young researchers.
What the fellow will work on
- Development of smart-material-based robotic applications, including shape memory alloy and piezoelectric materials
- Supporting the laboratory’s work in accelerated materials development and micro-robotics
Eligibility
- B.E./B.Tech. in Mechanical or Mechatronics Engineering with first class and a valid GATE score
- OR M.E./M.Tech. with first class in Mechanical, Mechatronics, Robotics and Automation, Machine Design or Solid Mechanics, together with a B.E./B.Tech. in Mechanical or Mechatronics Engineering with first class
- Desirable: working knowledge of finite element packages, CAD, 3D printing, composite materials, and basic electronics and instrumentation
- Open to Indian nationals
This is a walk-in interview on a single day, so eligible candidates attend in person with their documents rather than applying in advance. A fellowship is not a government job with permanent tenure. These posts are temporary, tied to the project or scheme that funds them, and the advertisements say plainly that they confer no claim to a regular post. What they do give you is paid research time inside a national laboratory, and in many cases a route into a PhD.
Pay and duration
- As per DRDO and national agency research fellowship rules
How to apply
Attend the walk-in interview on 6 October 2026 at 09:30 at DRDO Young Scientists’ Laboratory for Smart Materials, Kanchanbagh, Hyderabad 500058. Read the official DYSL-SM advertisement for the reporting requirements, and carry originals and self-attested copies of all certificates, your GATE scorecard, photo identity and passport-size photographs.
Key dates
- Advertisement DYSL-SM/HRD/JRF/REC/2026/1 dated 4 September 2026
- Published on DRDO’s vacancy page on 8 September 2026
- Walk-in interview on 6 October 2026 at 09:30
- DRDO’s vacancy page gives the end date as 6 October 2026
Please read the official DYSL-SM advertisement DYSL-SM/HRD/JRF/REC/2026/1 before applying, and browse more junior research fellow jobs on ResearchJobs.in.
Hiring institution: DRDO Young Scientists' Laboratory for Smart Materials (DYSL-SM)
Official advertisement: www.drdo.gov.in
How to prepare for this application
- Understand the material, not just the device: be ready to explain the martensite transformation in a shape memory alloy and the piezoelectric effect in plain terms.
- Bring your FEA work: finite element packages head the desirable list, so carry a simulation you built and validated.
- Talk about actuation limits: hysteresis, slow thermal response and fatigue are the real problems with shape memory actuators, and knowing them shows you have read properly.
- Show something you made: 3D printing and composites are named as desirable, and a physical prototype story lands well in a one-post interview.
- Single vacancy, so prepare hard: with one position on offer, the interview is competitive and your GATE score alone will not carry it.
About DRDO
The Defence Research and Development Organisation is the research wing of India's Ministry of Defence, with laboratories across the country working on aeronautics, armaments, combat vehicles, electronics, missiles, naval systems, life sciences and materials. Its research fellowships are a well-worn route into Indian defence research: fellows work inside a laboratory on a live programme, and many go on to register for a PhD or to join the organisation as scientists.
