Postdoctoral Fellowship in Sedimentology and Precambrian Palaeoclimate, IIT Roorkee (Earth Sciences, Prof. Biplab Bhattacharya)
Job Description
IIT Roorkee’s Department of Earth Sciences is recruiting a postdoc in sedimentology to reconstruct early oxygenation and palaeoclimate before the Precambrian–Cambrian boundary, under the mentorship of Prof. Biplab Bhattacharya.
At a glance
- Post: Post-Doctoral Fellow (PDF)
- Where: Department of Earth Sciences, IIT Roorkee, Uttarakhand
- Mentor: Prof. Biplab Bhattacharya
- Pay: ₹80,000 a month plus HRA, and ₹50,000 a year contingency
- Duration: Two years
- Apply by: 12 October 2026 (Monday), by email
- Who can apply: Indian nationals only
The advertisement is dated 18 September 2026 (IITR/ESD/PDF/26-27 series; the serial number is handwritten on the scanned copy). The project is “Reconstructing early oxygenation history and paleoclimate preceding the Precambrian-Cambrian boundary: constraints from siliciclastic-carbonate rocks of the Kurnool Group, Cuddapah Basin”.
About the sedimentology postdoc project
- Study siliciclastic and carbonate rocks of the Kurnool Group in the Cuddapah Basin, in southern India
- Use them to reconstruct the history of early oxygenation and the palaeoclimate before the Precambrian–Cambrian boundary
- Carry out geological fieldwork in deformed sedimentary terrains
The ad does not list further duties beyond the project title and the desired experience.
Why this role matters
The rise of oxygen before the Cambrian set the stage for complex life, and India’s Proterozoic basins hold a record of it that is still being worked out. A two-year IIT fellowship on the Kurnool Group lets a sedimentologist build a field-based research line on a globally relevant question, with fieldwork in one of India’s classic basins.
Eligibility
- A PhD in geology, applied geology or earth sciences, with research specialisation in sedimentology
- At least two first-author papers in SCI-indexed peer-reviewed journals from the PhD
- Desirable: proven experience in clastic or carbonate sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy, with fieldwork in deformed sedimentary terrains, preferably the Cuddapah Basin
- Candidates who have recently submitted their thesis may apply, but must show proof of the PhD award at interview
- PhD holders from IIT Roorkee are not eligible; only Indian nationals may apply
Only screened candidates are called for an interaction or interview, and the selected fellow is expected to join as soon as the offer letter is issued. The position is purely temporary.
Pay and duration
- ₹80,000 a month (consolidated) plus HRA as applicable
- Contingency grant of ₹50,000 a year
- Duration: two years; either side may end the fellowship with one month’s notice
- 2.5 days of leave per completed month, not carried beyond a calendar year
How to apply
Email a covering letter, a detailed CV and a list of publications, combined into a single PDF, to Prof. Biplab Bhattacharya at biplab.bhattacharya@es.iitr.ac.in. Mention the advertisement number and date and the title of the position clearly.
Key dates
- Advertisement dated 18 September 2026
- Last date: 12 October 2026 (Monday); late applications are not considered
Please read the official IIT Roorkee Earth Sciences PDF advertisement (PDF) before applying, and browse more postdoc positions on ResearchJobs.in.
Hiring institution: Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee
Official advertisement: iitr.ac.in
How to prepare for this application
- Show field credentials: summarise your mapping and logging experience, especially in Proterozoic basins such as the Cuddapah, Vindhyan or Chhattisgarh.
- Link facies to oxygen: be ready to discuss redox proxies used alongside sedimentology (iron speciation, trace metals, carbon and sulfur isotopes).
- Revise sequence stratigraphy: expect questions on systems tracts and how you would build a framework for mixed siliciclastic-carbonate successions.
- Read the Kurnool Group literature: know its main formations and existing age constraints.
- Keep it to one PDF: cover letter, CV and publication list together, with the ad number and date. See more postdoc listings.
About IIT Roorkee
IIT Roorkee in Uttarakhand traces its roots to the Roorkee college founded in 1847, later the Thomason College of Civil Engineering. It became India's first technical university as the University of Roorkee in 1948 and was converted into an Indian Institute of Technology in 2001. Postdoctoral fellows at IIT Roorkee are registered as students, which gives them access to the library, computer centre and hospital.
