Scientist ‘C’ in Design and Validation of Farm Machinery and Rural Technologies at NIF

Job Description

NIF Gandhinagar is recruiting a Scientist ‘C’ (post code PC-02) with an engineering or agricultural Ph.D. to turn inventions by rural innovators into dependable products. The desirable skills are all about machines: prototyping, CAD/CAM/CAE design, design for manufacturing, safety and performance testing, and taking a technology from the lab to the field. It is a regular post at pay Level 11 for candidates up to 35 years old.

At a glance

• Post: Scientist ‘C’ (PC-02), 1 post, Advertisement No. Adv/02/2026
• Focus: Prototype development, testing and scale-up of machinery, tools and devices from grassroots innovators
• Pay: 7th CPC pay matrix Level 11 (Rs 67,700 – 2,08,700 basic per month)
• Upper age limit: 35 years on the closing date, with relaxations as per Government of India rules
• Where: NIF campus, Grambharti, Amrapur, Gandhinagar, Gujarat
• Apply by: online; closes 30 days after the Employment News notice (earliest 28 September 2026)

Many grassroots innovations are farm machines and tools made in village workshops. Improving their design, testing them to standards and making them cheaper to build is what lets them reach more users.

What the post involves

• Developing prototypes and adding value to machinery, tools, devices and rural technologies, using CAD/CAM/CAE software for design and drafting
• Design for manufacturing, choice of materials, value engineering and cost reduction for scalable products
• Performance evaluation, safety testing and standardisation of machinery in the laboratory and in the field
• Validating technologies and deploying them in the field with innovators, fabricators and end users

NIF’s advertisement lists essential and desirable qualifications rather than duties; the points above follow its desirable qualifications.

Eligibility

• Ph.D. in agricultural sciences, production and industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, or electronics and communication engineering, or an equivalent discipline
• Three years of research and development experience in the relevant field
• At least three original research papers of high standard in national or international journals
• Indian citizens only; upper age limit 35 years on the closing date

NIF’s screening committee may shortlist candidates for a written test and/or interview, so meeting the minimum qualifications does not guarantee a call. Experience counts only after the essential qualification and not while studying full time. Age and eligibility are judged on the closing date, with relaxations as per Government of India rules. Candidates already working in government, PSUs, autonomous bodies or universities must apply through proper channel or upload a no-objection certificate (or an undertaking to produce it at the interview). The number of posts may change, and a reserve panel stays valid for one year.

Pay and duration

• 7th CPC pay matrix Level 11: Rs 67,700 – 2,08,700 basic pay per month
• A regular post filled by direct recruitment through open, all-India competition

How to apply

Apply online only, through the NIF recruitment portal (jobs.nifindia.org): register with a valid email address and mobile number, complete your profile, then choose the post code and submit. Upload self-attested copies of your date-of-birth proof, degrees, experience certificates (showing designation, dates, duties and pay level), category or PwBD certificates if they apply, a list of publications, and Ph.D. registration and award certificates. UR, OBC and EWS candidates pay a non-refundable fee of Rs 1,000 online; SC, ST, PwBD and women candidates are exempt. Apply for only one post under this advertisement: if you apply for more, NIF considers just one. Queries go to jobs@nifindia.org. NIF’s portal stays open for 30 days from the day the advertisement appears in Employment News/Rozgar Samachar (until 23:59 hrs). NIF’s notice does not give that date, so the earliest it can close is 28 September 2026; apply before then to be safe.

Key dates

• Advertisement No. Adv/02/2026, dated 29 August 2026; online applications opened on 29 August 2026
• Closing: 30 days from publication in Employment News/Rozgar Samachar, 23:59 hrs (earliest possible date 28 September 2026)

Please read the official NIF advertisement No. Adv/02/2026 before applying, and browse more scientist jobs on ResearchJobs.in.