Regular Post-Doctoral Fellowships in Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru (September 2026 Cycle)
Job Description
The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) in Bengaluru is inviting applications for postdoctoral fellowship posts in astrophysics under its Regular Post-Doctoral Programme, with a deadline of 30 September 2026.
At a glance
- Position: Regular Post-Doctoral Fellow
- Where: IIA, Koramangala, Bengaluru
- Pay: Rs 58,000 per month for a fresh PhD, Rs 61,000 with 1 to 2 years of postdoc experience, Rs 67,000 with more
- Duration: normally two years, with a possible third year
- Apply by: 30 September 2026 (pre-register at least a week earlier)
IIA considers postdoctoral applications in three cycles a year, in January, May and September, and its portal stays open for about a month each time. For the current cycle it is inviting applications only for the Regular Post-Doctoral Programme: the Chandrasekhar Post-Doctoral Fellowship is not offered this round.
About the postdoctoral fellowship in astrophysics at IIA
- Research in close collaboration with IIA’s research groups; fellows are also encouraged to pursue independent research
- Your research experience should overlap significantly with IIA’s current research, which its website groups as the Sun and solar system; stars, the interstellar medium and galaxies; and theoretical astrophysics
- Every applicant needs an IIA faculty member as a proposed mentor, agreed in advance together with a plan of the work to be done at IIA
Eligibility
- A PhD in physical sciences from a recognised university or institute, or a completed thesis defence at the time of application
- Research experience with significant overlap with IIA’s current research activities
- Preferably below 36 years of age
Only complete applications, including all three recommendation letters and the mentor’s support letter, received by the deadline are considered.
Pay and duration
- Rs 58,000 per month for a fresh PhD; Rs 61,000 with 1 to 2 years of postdoctoral experience; Rs 67,000 with more
- House rent, a book grant of Rs 10,000 a year and medical facilities under institute rules; fellows arrange their own accommodation
- Normally two years, with a possible extension of one more year
How to apply
Apply through IIA’s online post-doc application portal. The portal needs pre-registration, which should be done at least one week before the deadline. Upload a CV with a full publication list, a research proposal of no more than four pages, and your three best peer-reviewed papers. Three referees must email their recommendation letters directly to pdf@iiap.res.in with the subject “Recommendation letter for <your name>”, and your proposed IIA mentor must email a support letter to the same address with the subject “Support letter for <your name>”, all before 30 September 2026. Fellows with their own national fellowships (National PDF, INSPIRE and similar) who want IIA as host should instead write to the Dean at least a month in advance.
Key dates
- Pre-registration: at least one week before the deadline
- Applications, recommendation letters and support letter: by 30 September 2026
- Later cycles open in January and May
Please read the official IIA post-doctoral programme page before applying, and browse more postdoc jobs on ResearchJobs.in.
Hiring institution: Indian Institute of Astrophysics
Official advertisement: www.iiap.res.in
How to prepare for this application
- Find a mentor now: email one or two IIA faculty whose work matches yours, read their recent papers, and agree on a concrete plan; without their support letter the application is incomplete.
- Four-page proposal: state the science question, why IIA is the right place (its observatories, instruments or groups), your methods and a two-year timeline.
- Pick three papers well: choose the ones that best show your own contribution, and say in your CV what you did in each.
- Brief your referees early: their letters must reach pdf@iiap.res.in by 30 September, so send them your CV and proposal this week.
- Pre-register: the portal asks for registration at least a week before the deadline, so aim to finish it by about 23 September.
About the Indian Institute of Astrophysics
The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) is a national institute for research in astronomy, astrophysics and related physics, funded by India's Department of Science and Technology, with its main campus in Koramangala, Bengaluru. It runs the Vainu Bappu Observatory at Kavalur, the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory, the Gauribidanur radio observatory and the Indian Astronomical Observatory at Hanle in Ladakh, and built instruments for space missions such as the VELC coronagraph on Aditya-L1 and UVIT on AstroSat.
