Project Research Assistants (6 posts) at IIT Kharagpur’s AI-Enabled Craft Ecosystem Centre

Job Description

Prof. Priyadarshi Patnaik’s Centre of Excellence for Unified AI-Enabled Craft Ecosystem Platform, in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT Kharagpur, has advertised six Project Research Assistant posts across three advertisements. They cover AI and software, design, and management or social-science research on artisan enterprises. The posts close on 22 and 23 September 2026.

At a glance

• Positions: Project Research Assistant: 3 posts (Ref. CXA/2026/119), 2 posts (Ref. CXA/2026/118), 1 post (Ref. CXA/2026/117)
• Project: Centre of Excellence for Unified AI-Enabled Craft Ecosystem Platform
• PI: Prof. Priyadarshi Patnaik, Humanities and Social Sciences
• Tenure: 48 months or until the project ends, whichever is earlier (per refs 118 and 119)
• Apply by: 22 September 2026 (ref 117); 23 September 2026 (refs 118 and 119)

The centre links AI tools with India’s craft sector: artisans, their enterprises and the markets they sell in. That mix explains the spread of profiles, from programmers and designers to researchers in management, economics and development studies. All the posts involve field data collection and travel.

The six posts

• Ref. 119, posts 1 and 2 (AI and software): B.Tech or M.Tech in Computer Science, IT, AI, Electrical or related fields; exposure to AI and LLM programming, machine learning, programming languages, image processing, visual design or advertising, social sciences, and app development in industry
• Ref. 119, post 3 (design): B.Des, B.Arch or B.A. in Design, Visual Arts or Spatial Design; exposure to AI and LLM programming, front-end and back-end game and web development, and social sciences
• Ref. 118, two posts (research): a master’s in Management, Economics, Commerce, Social Sciences, Development Studies, Rural Management, Entrepreneurship, Design, Science or a related discipline; pure-science graduates with strong analytical and computational skills are also encouraged. Interest in MSMEs, artisan enterprises, handicrafts and livelihoods, good writing, and prior research experience are advantages
• Ref. 117, one post (technical): at least one of B.Tech or M.Tech in Computer Science, IT, AI, Electrical Engineering, Electronics, Instrumentation, Mathematics or equivalent

Eligibility

• Basic qualification in all three ads: BE, B.Tech, MA, M.Sc, MCA, MBA or equivalent; or a B.Sc, B.A or B.Com with 2 years of relevant experience; or a 3-year diploma with 5 years’ experience; or, in exceptional cases, ITI with more than 8 years’ experience (a skill test applies)
• At least 60% in class 10 (55% for SC/ST/OBC/PwD) and at least 70% or 7.5 CGPA in class 12 (65% or 7.0 CGPA for SC/ST/OBC/PwD)
• Refs. 117 and 119 also require at least 70% or 7.5 CGPA (65% or 7.0 for SC/ST/OBC/PwD) in the relevant degree
• Upper age limit: 35 in the portal field of all three ads. The text of ref. 118 says 40, so check with SRIC if you are between 35 and 40

Selection is by interview in hybrid mode (in person or online); ref. 117 describes a walk-in interview with written and/or oral parts and an 8:30 a.m. reporting time. The date, venue and link will be shared beforehand, no call letters are sent, and you must both apply on the portal and attend.

Pay and duration

• Pay is not stated in the online advertisements; confirm it before accepting
• Tenure: 48 months or the end of the project, whichever is earlier

How to apply

Apply to each advertisement separately through the Apply Online button on its page: ref. 119 (3 posts), ref. 118 (2 posts) and ref. 117 (1 post). The advertisements list no application fee. Other SRIC openings are on the SRIC recruitment page.

Key dates

• Ref. 117: last date 22 September 2026
• Refs. 118 and 119: last date 23 September 2026
• Interviews: details to be shared by IIT Kharagpur

Please read the official IIT Kharagpur SRIC advertisement (ref. 119) before applying, and browse more research assistant jobs on ResearchJobs.in.