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). ARIES extends the opportunity to all M. Sc. qualified students to pursue an exciting research career as a PhD student under ISRO-ARFI Project on “Aerosols over the Himalayan Region – Understanding Their Role and Impact”.

This project invites applicants to pursue a PhD focused on unravelling the critical role of aerosols in the Himalayan climate system. Aerosols—particles from natural and human sources—affect Earth’s energy balance through direct radiative forcing and cloud interactions. These effects accelerate snow and ice melt by darkening surfaces and may influence monsoon patterns. However, their specific impacts on regional temperature, glacier retreat, and extreme weather remain underexplored. This research project will utilize the very long-term observations made at ARIES, make new observations, pursue advanced atmospheric modeling, and utilize satellite-based remote sensing data to underpin these unexplored impacts.

PhD Admission (ISRO-ARFI Project) 2025 in ARIES, Nainital

Students with M. Sc. in Physics/Astrophysics are invited to apply for a Junior Research Fellowship under ISRO-AFRI project, leading to a PhD at ARIES. Selected student will be initially offered a Junior Research Fellowship (JRF). After completing two years as a Junior Research Fellow, the student will be offered a Senior Research Fellowship (SRF) after an assessment. The total tenure of the fellowship will not exceed five years, including the coursework.

The details of the shortlisted candidates will be posted on the ARIES website. The interviews will be conducted Online/Offline at ARIES, Nainital. 

Fellowship: Rs 37000/- per month (JRF); Rs 42000/- per month (SRF).

Minimum Qualification for PhD interviews at ARIES

• M.Sc. Physics 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 26 September 2025. The upper age limit for reserved categories may be relaxed as per the UGC rules.
• Applicants should have a valid JEST -OR- GATE -OR- CSIR/UGC NET (JRF/LS) qualification in Physics. GATE percentile should be 95 or more. CSIR/UGC NET qualification from the most recent exam held in 2025 is only admissible.
• All the applications will be further screened by taking into account marks/ranks in JEST/GATE/NET and M.Sc. and other guidelines decided by ARIES. Fulfilling the minimum qualifications does not guarantee a call for an interview.

Application Process

Online application is mandatory for the PhD applicants. Final selection will be made on the basis of an Online/Offline interview to be held at ARIES, Nainital. For the candidates appearing in person, shared accommodation may be provided upon request (only to the shortlisted candidates) for one night prior to the day of the interview.

Apply Now

• Deadline for online application submission: 23:59 Hrs, 12 October 2025
• Announcement of shortlisted candidates for Interview: 14 October 2025
• Date of Interview (Online/Offline): 29 October 2025
• Announcement of the selected candidates: 31 October 2025
• Expected date of joining ARIES: 04 November 2025

Contact

Dr. Priyanka Srivastava, PI - ISRO-ARFI Project
Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES)
Manora Peak, Tallital Sub PO,
Nainital -263001 Uttarakhand
E-mail: priyanka [at] aries [dot] res [dot] in