Know all about public-funded pure science insts
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SCIENTIFIC INNOVATION demands a complete understanding of underlying principles |
SIR C V Raman is the only Nobel prize winner that India can truly claim to have produced, and we are nowhere near to replicating that anytime in the near future laments Dr Dinesh Abrol, scientist at National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies, New Delhi. But the country definitely is not so lagging when it comes to producing good science, with the public sector dominating the scene like a colossus.
The superior infrastructure and high quality faculty is the differentiator says Prof Kalyanmoy Deb, faculty, IIT Kanpur. The most famous of the basic sciences schools is the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR). Set up by the Tata Trust, it is an autonomous institution under the Department of Atomic Energy. Working on seminal areas of Physics and Mathematics, it does world class research and has both doctoral and post doctoral positions for aspiring students.
Yet another initiative that focuses on, basic science education is the establishment of Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER) at Bhopal, Kolkata, Mohali, and Pune. These institutions have begun offering integrated PhD programmes, especially for young students directly after 10+2. With state-of-the-art laboratories and learning resources, these institutions would provide a certain quality of science education that would only be matched with difficulty by a few private players. Their integrative curriculum that offers a variety of options to the students has come for substantial praise from Prof S R Varathan, a doyen of Mathematics.
Two famous Physics schools and one Mathematics school also find a place here. Purists might dispute their presence in pure sciences, since they have strong application orientation, and the distinction between pure and applied sciences is now blurring. Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG), the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP) and the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMS) are in focus here. While the first focuses on two specialised domains of Physics viz, geomagnetism and nuclear energy, the last one attempts to develop original work on computational mathematics and theoretical computer science. It is the increased application-oriented research in these institutions that makes them exciting places to study. And they have great opportunities too.
But in terms of world class research we are still not up there. And pure sciences research is a very high investment research game. It also demands a long time horizon to provide fruits. So we need to plan ahead. According to Prof CNR Rao we are nowhere in the scheme of things when it comes to being a world class science academic destination. “Everything we do from now on should be geared to taking a place in the top 100 and then top 10,” concludes Prof Rao. A tall order indeed.
Srinivasa SR Varadhan
Prof Imran Siddiqui |
Pure Science Institutes |
Institution, Location | Programme | Programme | Administrative |
Integrated MSc-PhD | Integrated MTech-PhD (Tech.) Programme, PhD and Post Doctoral; | Department of | |
Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore | One-Year Post Graduate Diploma in Science Education (Two years for teachers who do it on a part-time basis) | Summer Research Fellowship Programme; Project Oriented Chemical/Biological Education (POCE/POBE) Programme | -do- |
PhD programme | Post Doctoral programme; Research Fellowships: JRF/SRF/RA | -do- | |
Indian Institute of Science Education & Research Bhopal (IISER-B) | MS (Integrated), PhD | – | Ministry of Human Resource |
Indian Institute of Science Education & Research Mohali (IISER-M) | MS (Integrated), PhD | – | -do- |
Integrated MSc-PhD | – | Department of | |
Post-BSc Integrated PhD in Chemical Sciences (IntPCS) | TWAS Fellowships for Postdoctoral/PG/Visiting Scholar/Visiting Researchers and PhD | -do- | |
Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, Kolkata (IISER-K) | Integrated MS & PhD, |
| Ministry of |
One-Year Post-MSc Associateship Course in Physics/Biophysical Sciences stream | PhD for CSIR-NET qualified JRFs only/Post MSc | Department of | |
Post BSc-Integrated PhD (Physical Sciences); Post MSc Integrated PhD | Post Doctoral; PhD in Nano Science & Technology, Theoretical Chemistry, Chemical Physics; Cambridge-Bose Scholarship in Physics & related areas; TWAS-Bose fellowship | Department of | |
MSc (Biology ); Integrated PhD in Mathematics (Bangalore) and Biology; PhD (Mathematics, | Post Doctoral prog; Research Fellowships: | Department of Atomic Energy; Deemed University | |
Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational-Sciences (ARIES), Nainital | PhD in Astronomy & | Summer School | Department of |
Indian Institute of Science Education & Research Pune (IISER-P) | Integrated Master’s; | – | Ministry of |
National Institute | PhD prog for students registered in other universities such as Kerala University | – | Council for Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) |
