Pharm'Up 
The Department of Biotechnology at IIT Hyderabad is inviting applications for its Ph.D. program. Established in 2010, the department focuses on interdisciplinary research across computational and experimental frontiers, funded by major national agencies like DBT, DST, ICMR, and CSIR.
Research Areas & Faculty
The department is divided into two primary research wings:
1. Computational Labs
- Microbial ‘Omics’ & ML: Biomolecular interaction prediction (Prof. Thenmalarchelvi Rathinavelan).
- Precision Medicine & AI: Genomics, Transcriptomics, and Medical image analysis for cancer and neurodegenerative disorders (Dr. Rahul Kumar).
- Systems Biology: Data-driven machine learning models for metabolism and immunology (Dr. Abhishek Subramanian).
- Evolutionary Genomics: Plant-microbe interactions and microbiome analysis (Dr. Gaurav Sharma).
- Cancer Multi-omics: AI/ML analysis of datasets from Indian cancer patients (Dr. Ashish Misra).
2. Experimental Labs
- DNA Repair & Disease: Molecular characterization of enzymes in cancer and autoimmune diseases (Prof. Anindya Roy).
- Zebrafish Models: Investigating disease mechanisms and membrane protein functions (Prof. Anamika Bhargava).
- Structural Biology: X-ray crystallography, drug design, and enzyme engineering (Prof. Rajakumara Eerappa).
- Neurobiology & Chronomedicine: Circadian rhythms, aging, and mass spectrometry (Dr. Sandipan Ray).
- Chromosome Dynamics: Single-molecule imaging and chromatin remodeling in cancer (Dr. Gunjan Mehta).
- RNA Metabolism: 3D cancer models and drug repurposing (Dr. Ashish Misra).
- Protein Interactions: Human-Virus protein-protein interaction (Dr. N.K. Raghavendra).
Minimum Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must hold a degree in Life Sciences, Biotechnology, Medical, Physical, or Chemical Sciences.
| Category | Requirement |
| Full-time Institute Fellowship (MoE) | M.Tech OR M.Sc/B.Tech/B.E./MBBS with a valid GATE/NET score. |
| External Fellowship | M.Tech/M.Sc/B.Tech/B.E. with a valid JRF (CSIR/UGC/ICMR/DBT Category-I) or DST-INSPIRE. |
| Special Ph.D. (High CGPA) | B.E./B.Tech/B.S. from IITs, IISc, IISERs, or MBBS from AIIMS. |
Note: The “Special Ph.D.” category offers a fellowship of Rs. 80,000/pm for 4 years. Shortlisting criteria are typically higher than the minimum eligibility.
Selection Procedure
- Shortlisting: A committee will review applications based on academic merit and test scores.
- Interview: Shortlisted candidates will be invited for one or more rounds of interviews.
- Final Selection: Based strictly on interview performance.
Important Guidelines
- No Changes: Requests to change the interview date or time will not be accepted.
- Right to Refuse: The department reserves the right not to select any candidate if the required standards are not met.
- Cut-off: The department may set specific cut-off criteria for different categories during shortlisting.
About the Author
