Junior Research Fellow in Natural Language Processing at CAIR, DRDO (Bengaluru)
Job Description
The Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, DRDO’s AI laboratory in Bengaluru, is holding a walk-in interview on 19 September 2026 for one Junior Research Fellow in natural language processing, under advertisement CAIR/HRT/JRF/2026/02.
At a glance
- Position: Junior Research Fellow
- Vacancies: 1
- Where: CAIR, Bengaluru
- Stipend: As per DRDO fellowship rules
- Duration: 2 years, extendable and upgradable to SRF
- Age limit: 28 years on the interview date
- Walk-in interview: 19 September 2026
CAIR is the DRDO laboratory that works on artificial intelligence, robotics and command and control systems, and this fellowship sits squarely in its natural language processing work. The desirable criteria are unusually specific for an Indian government advertisement: design and analysis of algorithms, a comprehensive knowledge of deep learning and NLP, and expert Python programming with open-source frameworks such as PyTorch and Docker.
Why this role matters
Language technology built for defence use has to work on Indian languages and on material that commercial models never see. A fellowship at CAIR is one of the few places in the country where that problem is the day job, and the fellowship can be extended and upgraded to Senior Research Fellow, which makes it a real start rather than a stopgap.
What the fellow will work on
- Research in natural language processing within CAIR’s artificial intelligence programme
- Algorithm design and analysis applied to language problems
- Implementation in Python using open-source frameworks such as PyTorch, with containerised workflows
Eligibility
- B.E. or B.Tech. in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence or Information Science in first division from an AICTE-accredited institute or university, with a valid GATE, CSIR-NET or UGC-NET qualification
- OR M.E. or M.Tech. in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence or Information Science in first division at both graduate and postgraduate level
- Desirable: proficiency in design and analysis of algorithms; comprehensive knowledge of deep learning and natural language processing; expert Python programming and experience with open-source frameworks such as PyTorch and Docker
- Age limit 28 years as on the date of interview, relaxable by 3 years for OBC and 5 years for SC/ST and persons with disabilities
This is a walk-in interview, so there is no application to post in advance: eligible candidates attend on the day with their documents. The fellowship runs for two years and may be extended and upgraded to Senior Research Fellow as per rules. 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
- Initially two years, extendable and upgradable to Senior Research Fellow
How to apply
Attend the walk-in interview at CAIR, Bengaluru on 19 September 2026. Read the official CAIR advertisement in full for the reporting time and venue, and carry originals and self-attested copies of all certificates, your GATE or NET scorecard, a photo identity document and passport-size photographs.
Key dates
- Advertisement CAIR/HRT/JRF/2026/02 dated 6 August 2026
- Published on DRDO’s vacancy page on 14 August 2026
- Walk-in interview on 19 September 2026
- DRDO’s vacancy page gives the end date as 19 September 2026
Please read the official CAIR advertisement CAIR/HRT/JRF/2026/02 before applying, and browse more artificial intelligence jobs on ResearchJobs.in.
Hiring institution: Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR), DRDO
Official advertisement: www.drdo.gov.in
How to prepare for this application
- Do not arrive without the scorecard: the GATE or NET qualification is an eligibility condition for the B.E./B.Tech. route, and you will be turned away without it.
- Revise algorithms properly: design and analysis of algorithms is listed first among the desirable criteria, so expect complexity questions, not only model questions.
- Know your transformers from the inside: be able to explain attention, tokenisation and fine-tuning without slides.
- Bring a project you can demo: an NLP project with a repository and honest evaluation numbers is the single strongest thing you can carry into a walk-in.
- Plan the day: walk-ins can run long, so reach early, carry multiple copies of your documents and be ready to wait.
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.
