ARIES Nainital PhD Admission 2025 (June)

Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital offers Junior Fellowship program leading to PhD jointly coordinated by ARIES, Nainital and IIT, Roorkee (Physics Department).

About ARIES Nainital

Located on the lap of the lower Himalayas, near the beautiful hill town of Nainital, Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) is an autonomous research institute funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST).

Astronomy & Astrophysics division of ARIES is engaged in cutting edge research in the fields of Solar Physics, Stellar physics, Interstellar Matter, Transients like Supernova and GRBs, AGN, Galaxy Morphology, Relativistic Astrophysics etc. The Atmospheric division specializes in atmospheric chemistry, trace gases, boundary layer meteorology, atmospheric dynamics, aerosols etc.

The Atmospheric division specializes in atmospheric chemistry, trace gases, boundary layer meteorology, atmospheric dynamics, aerosols etc.

ARIES Nainital PhD Program Details

• Students with M. Sc. in Physics/Astrophysics are invited to apply for the Junior Research Fellowship programme of ARIES, leading to a PhD. The PhD programme will be jointly coordinated by ARIES, Nainital and IIT Roorkee (Physics Department).
• Students admitted to the PhD programme are initially offered a Junior Research Fellowship (JRF). Successful completion of the coursework is mandatory for all the JRFs. After completing two years as a Junior Research Fellow, a student is offered a Senior Research Fellowship (SRF) after an assessment. The total tenure of the fellowship will not exceed five years, including the coursework.

Eligibility Criteria

• M.Sc. Physics/Astrophysics with minimum 55% marks for General/OBC and 50% for SC/ST. Post-graduation degree should be from a UGC-recognized college/University.
• The candidate should have passed M. Sc. on or after June 1, 2023.
• Age limit: 28 years as of 30 June 2025. The upper age limit for reserved categories may be relaxed as per the UGC rules.
• Applicants should have a valid CSIR/UGC-NET (JRF/LS) qualified in Physical Sciences -OR- a valid GATE qualified in Physics -OR – a valid JEST qualified in Physics OR INSPIRE.
• All the applications will be further screened by taking into account marks/ranks in GATE/CSIR, UGC-NET/JEST and M.Sc. and other guidelines decided by ARIES. Fulfilling the minimum qualifications does not guarantee a call for an interview.

Application Process

• Interested candidates have to apply online on website of ARIES.
• Before filling this application form read the instructions carefully.

Selection Process

• Final selection will be made on the basis of an in-person (OFFLINE) interview to be held at ARIES, Nainital.
• The details of the shortlisted candidates will be posted on the ARIES website.

• Deadline for online application submission: 30 April, 2025
• Announcement of shortlisted candidates for Interview: 10 May, 2025
• Date of Interview: 9 June, 2025 – 13 June, 2025 (at ARIES, Nainital)
• Announcement of first list of selected candidates: 20 June, 2025
• Deadline for confirmation of the selected candidates from the first list: 26 June, 2025
• Announcement of the second and final list of selected candidates: 27 June, 2025
• Deadline for confirmation of the selected candidates from the second list: 3 July, 2025
• Deadline for joining ARIES: 7 July, 2025
• Date of Academic Registration: 10 July, 2025 (tentative; at IIT Roorkee, in-person)

• Notification
• Application
• ARIES Website