Project Scientist in OCR for Indian Languages (Foundation Models), IIT Delhi (MeitY Project)

Job Description

IIT Delhi is hiring a Project Scientist in OCR for Indian languages. The post is in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, New Delhi. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) funds the project. Two Junior Project Assistant (Tech.) posts are open under the same advertisement.

At a glance

• Posts: Project Scientist (1) and Jr. Project Assistant (Tech.) (2)
• Where: Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT Delhi, New Delhi
• Pay: Project Scientist: ₹47,790 to ₹62,350 a month (a ten-step slab), plus HRA at 30%
• Duration: Contractual, renewed yearly, up to the end of the project (31 March 2027)
• Apply by: 21 October 2026, 5:00 pm, by email

The advertisement is IITD/IRD/267/2026, dated 6 October 2026. The project is “OCRs and Applications in Indian Languages” (RP04268G). The Principal Investigator is Prof. Chetan Arora of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering.

What the Indian-language OCR Project Scientist works on

• Optical character recognition (OCR) and its applications for Indian languages, as set out in the project title
• Training of foundation models, including parameter-efficient fine-tuning (PEFT) or similar methods
• Deep neural networks for computer vision problems
• The two Jr. Project Assistant (Tech.) posts support the same project

The advertisement gives the project title and the skills it wants. It does not list day-to-day duties.

Why this role matters

India has 22 scheduled languages and many scripts, and huge amounts of printed text in them are not yet searchable. Good OCR turns that text into data that people and software can use. This project is funded by MeitY. It combines computer vision with foundation-model fine-tuning, two skills in high demand.

Eligibility

• Project Scientist: a BTech or BE in CSE, Electronics or Mechanical with a minor in Data Science, first class or equivalent
• Project Scientist: 2 years of relevant work experience
• Jr. Project Assistant (Tech.): a BTech, BSc or BE in Computer Science, Data Science or Mechanical Engineering, first class or equivalent
• Desirable for both posts: hands-on experience training foundation models with PEFT or similar methods, and strong knowledge of deep neural networks for computer vision
• SC/ST candidates may get a 5% relaxation in marks

Only Indian nationals may apply. IIT Delhi may set higher criteria for shortlisting. Shortlisted names go up on the IRD website with the online interview details. Only shortlisted candidates are told about the interview. A retired government employee’s pay would be fixed under IRD norms.

Pay and duration

• Project Scientist: ₹47,790 to ₹62,350 a month (a ten-step slab), plus HRA at 30%
• Jr. Project Assistant (Tech.): a slab from ₹29,290 to ₹38,220 a month, plus HRA at 30%
• Contract renewable yearly, or until the project ends on 31 March 2027, whichever is earlier

How to apply

Download Form No. IRD/REC-4 from the IIT Delhi IRD recruitment page. Fill it in with your marks or division and your work experience. Email it to the PI, Prof. Chetan Arora, at the address given in the advertisement. Put the advertisement number, IITD/IRD/267/2026, in the subject line.

Key dates

• Advertisement dated 6 October 2026
• Last date for emailed applications: 21 October 2026, 5:00 pm
• Project end date: 31 March 2027

Please read the official IIT Delhi advertisement IITD/IRD/267/2026 (PDF) before applying, and browse more artificial intelligence jobs on ResearchJobs.in.