
The National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS), Pune, an autonomous institution of the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, is now accepting applications for its prestigious Ph.D. program (August 2026 session).
This call is open to motivated Indian citizens with a strong academic background and a passion for research in modern biology. Successful candidates will have the opportunity to work in world-class laboratories across various disciplines, ranging from cancer biology to bioinformatics.
Key Research Verticals
NCCS offers doctoral research opportunities in several high-impact areas:
- Disease Biology: Immunology, Infection Biology, and Cancer Biology.
- Cellular Foundations: Cell and Molecular Biology.
- Computational & Systems Research: Bioinformatics and Systems Biology.
- Ecology & Structure: Microbial Ecology, Neuroscience, and Structural Biology.
Candidate Requirements
To maintain high research standards, NCCS has set the following eligibility criteria:
- Academic Qualification: A postgraduate degree in any branch of Science with at least 60% marks (or equivalent GPA). A 5% relaxation is provided for SC/ST/OBC/PWD candidates.
- Mandatory Fellowship: Candidates must hold a valid Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) from CSIR, UGC, DBT (Category I), ICMR, or BINC.
- JGEEBILS Pathway: Applicants who qualified for the JGEEBILS (December 2025) exam are also eligible. NCCS will provide a limited number of institutional fellowships to top-performing candidates in this category.
- Age Limit: Applicants must be 28 years or younger as of August 1, 2026, with standard Government of India relaxations.
Important: Candidates qualified for Lectureship (LS) only or those in DBT Category II/ICAR/ICMR Project categories are not eligible.
Critical Deadlines & Selection Process
The selection will involve a rigorous shortlisting followed by two rounds of online interviews.
| Milestone | Date |
| Application Deadline | 11th May, 2026 |
| Shortlist Announcement | 21st May, 2026 |
| Online Interview Round 1 | 8th – 10th June, 2026 |
| Online Interview Final Round | 11th – 12th June, 2026 |
| Final Selection List | 22nd June, 2026 |
| Commencement (Joining) | 3rd August, 2026 |
How to Apply
Interested candidates must submit their applications through the NCCS Official Career Portal. A Gmail account is mandatory for the online submission. For technical support, contact the academic cell at academics@nccs.res.in.
