PhD Admission January 2027 in Earth and Planetary Sciences, NISER Bhubaneswar
Job Description
PhD admission at NISER Bhubaneswar for January 2027 is open in the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences. This is the Winter Session of 2026-27. The last date for all schools is 1 November 2026, and there is no application fee.
At a glance
- Programme: PhD in the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, starting January 2027
- Where: NISER, Jatni, Khurda, Odisha
- Application fee: none
- Test or interview: 1 and 2 December 2026 (tentative)
- Apply by: 1 November 2026
This school reaches from the inside of the early Earth to the atmospheres of other planets. Archean geology and continental growth sit next to JWST and ALMA observations of exoplanets, earthquake physics with laboratory friction experiments, and instrument building for a VIS-NIR spectrometer. The eligibility list is wide: physics, engineering, mathematics and data science degrees all qualify.
Eligibility for the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences
- 55% or equivalent GPA in an MSc, MTech or ME in physics, astronomy and astrophysics, space science, geology, applied geology, geoscience, geological sciences, geophysics, earth sciences, atmospheric and oceanic sciences, mathematics, chemistry, engineering physics, electrical, electronics, mechanical, civil or computer engineering, data science or a related subject
- Or at least 75% marks in a four-year, eight-semester bachelor’s science degree with physics, chemistry or geology as one of the subjects
- Or at least 75% in a four-year BE or BTech degree
- Candidates with a GPA may need a conversion note from their institution if the mark sheet does not give a percentage
National examination required
Candidates must have qualified at least one of CSIR-UGC-NET, GATE or JEST, valid for the academic year 2026-2027.
One rule that catches people out
The advertisement is explicit: a candidate holding the INSPIRE Doctoral Fellowship only, without having qualified one of the national written examinations listed above, will not be considered for PhD admission at NISER. Several institutes accept INSPIRE on its own. NISER does not. Check this before you spend time on the form.
The cut-off marks for GATE, JEST, JGEEBILS, CSIR-UGC-NET and the rest are set by each school for its own subject area, so a pass alone may not be enough.
Research areas
- Petrology, geochemistry and lithosphere dynamics of Archean terranes, focused on how tectonic processes evolved on the early Earth
- Continental growth on the Hadean and Archean Earth: how early continental crust formed, differentiated and stabilised
- Radiative transfer in Earth and planetary surface photometry and reflectance spectroscopy, hyperspectral data processing, geochemical analysis of planetary analogues, and building a VIS-NIR spectrometer
- Atmospheric physics and fluid dynamics, field meteorological observations, regional convective processes and climatology
- Exoplanet atmospheres and interiors, planet formation, and observational astrophysics with JWST and ALMA
- Earthquake seismology and the physics of earthquakes, laboratory friction experiments and inverse problems
More detail is on the school’s faculty page.
How to apply
Apply online on the NISER online application portal. The portal opened on 1 October 2026. NISER charges no application fee for the PhD programme. If you want more than one school, fill a separate form for each one with its own documents. Keep ready a passport photo and signature as JPEG files, a birth certificate or class 10 certificate, and your qualifying degree certificates and mark sheets.
Candidates still sitting their final examination may apply. They must give an undertaking that the degree certificate will be submitted by the time of admission. If your mark sheet shows a GPA without a conversion note, get one from your institution.
Selection
Each school’s selection committee shortlists from the applications received by the deadline. Meeting the minimum qualification does not guarantee a shortlist, and schools may add their own criteria. Shortlisted candidates face an interview, with a written test as well if the school wants one. Everyone called for the test or interview is reimbursed return travel at second-sleeper class railway fare by the shortest route, against valid documents.
Read the official NISER advertisement (PDF) in full before applying. Browse more PhD positions on ResearchJobs.in, or search our Find a supervisor page.
Key dates
- Portal opened: 1 October 2026
- Last date: 1 November 2026
- Shortlist published on the NISER website: 10 November 2026
- Test or interview: 1 and 2 December 2026 (tentative)
- First-semester registration: 1 January 2027
Hiring institution: National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar
Official advertisement: www.niser.ac.in
How to prepare for this application
- Check your national exam is valid for 2026-27. The advertisement asks for a score valid for this academic year.
- Do not rely on INSPIRE alone. NISER will not consider an INSPIRE-only candidate who has not cleared one of the listed written examinations.
- Read the faculty pages for the school. Naming the group you want to join is the strongest thing on your form.
- One form per school. Applying to two schools means two complete applications with their own documents.
- Keep your travel documents. Return rail fare at second-sleeper class is reimbursed if you are called for the interview.
About NISER
The National Institute of Science Education and Research was set up in 2007 at Jatni near Bhubaneswar, under the Department of Atomic Energy. It teaches and researches the basic sciences, and its degrees are awarded through the Homi Bhabha National Institute. The PhD programme admits twice a year, in a summer session starting in July and a winter session starting in January.
