Junior Research Fellow in Semiconductor, Quantum and RF Devices at SAC, ISRO (Ahmedabad)

Job Description

The Space Applications Centre is taking three Junior Research Fellows to work on superconducting receiver front-ends at millimetre wave and beyond, and on RF mixed-signal system-on-chip design, under advertisement SAC:02:2026 (post code 01).

At a glance

• Position: Junior Research Fellow, post code 01
• Vacancies: 3
• Where: Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad
• Stipend: ₹37,000 a month for the first two years, ₹42,000 thereafter, plus HRA
• Age limit: 28 years as on 30 September 2026
• Apply by: 17:00 on 30 September 2026

This is the most device-physics-heavy of the SAC fellowships. Millimetre-wave superconducting receivers are the front end of a radiometer: the first thing the incoming signal meets, and therefore the component that sets how faint a signal the instrument can detect at all. Work at this end of the chain is unusually complete, running from mathematical device models through non-linear circuit and 3D electromagnetic simulation to cryogenic testing of the finished circuit.

Why this role matters

India builds its own earth-observation and communication payloads, and the sensitivity of those payloads is decided by exactly this kind of front-end design. It is also one of the few places in the country where a fresh postgraduate can touch superconducting millimetre-wave hardware and semiconductor SoC design in the same job.

What the fellow will work on

• Superconducting receiver front-ends at millimetre wave and beyond, including mathematical device modelling, non-linear circuit simulation and 3D electromagnetic simulation
• Cryogenic testing of millimetre-wave and sub-millimetre-wave circuits
• Circuit design and verification of RF mixed-signal System on Chip designs, and RF circuit design and testing
• Front-end design through to GDSII, electromagnetic simulation, and modelling of semiconductor devices at high frequency in S-band and Ka-band

Eligibility

• M.E. or M.Tech. in Semiconductor Technology, Quantum, Micro or Nano Electronic Devices, RF and Microwave, or a related discipline
• A valid score in one of: CSIR-UGC NET including lectureship, GATE, or a national-level examination conducted by a central government department or agency such as DST, DBT, DAE, DOS, DRDO, MoE, ICAR, ICMR, IIT, IISc, IISER or NISER
• Maximum age 28 years as on 30 September 2026, relaxable by 5 years for SC/ST and 3 years for OBC-NCL candidates, with further relaxation for serving central government employees, persons with benchmark disabilities and ex-servicemen as per government rules
• Indian nationals only
• M.E./M.Tech. where prescribed needs at least 60% marks averaged over all semesters, or a CGPA of 6.5 on a 10-point scale
• M.Sc./B.E./B.Tech. where prescribed needs at least 65%, or a CGPA of 6.84 on a 10-point scale
• Marks are not rounded up, and a CGPA cannot be converted to a percentage to meet the cut-off

SAC states that the scope of work given against each post is an outline and not exhaustive, that the number of vacancies is provisional and may go up or down, and that it may cancel the recruitment or leave posts unfilled. The positions are temporary and carry no claim to a regular appointment at any Department of Space or ISRO centre. 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. Selection is by interview alone. If many applications arrive, SAC will shortlist on academic record and subject specialisation, and says the committee’s decision is final. Shortlists and the interview schedule are published on the SAC website, and call letters go out only by e-mail, so candidates who are not shortlisted hear nothing.

Pay and duration

• ₹37,000 a month for the first and second year, ₹42,000 a month thereafter, plus House Rent Allowance at the rate in force at Ahmedabad if hostel accommodation is not provided
• Medical benefits for yourself only, and leave as per Department of Space and Government of India rules
• The fellowship amount counts as basic pay for calculating HRA; no other benefits admissible to regular employees apply

How to apply

Apply online only, through the portal linked from the official ISRO advertisement page for advertisement SAC:02:2026 (the full advertisement PDF lists every post code). The portal is open from 10:00 on 10 September 2026 to 17:00 on 30 September 2026. There is no application fee for any post. Note that the printed advertisement gives the portal as career.sac.gov.in, which does not currently resolve; careers.sac.gov.in does respond, so use the link on the ISRO advertisement page rather than typing the address by hand. After submitting, save your application number and print the summary, because the site closes for printing after 17:00 on 30 September 2026.

Key dates

• Advertisement SAC:02:2026 dated 10 September 2026
• Online portal open from 10:00 on 10 September 2026
• Closes at 17:00 on 30 September 2026
• Your NET or GATE result must be valid on 30 September 2026

Please read the official ISRO advertisement SAC:02:2026 before applying, and browse more junior research fellow jobs on ResearchJobs.in.