BHU JRF Botany Recruitment 2026

BHU JRF Botany Recruitment 2026: Overview

Banaras Hindu University (BHU) is engaging a Junior Research Fellow in the Department of Botany for an Anusandhan National Research Foundation-funded Inclusivity Research Grant. The fellow will work in the Mycorrhizal Research Laboratory at the Institute of Science in Varanasi under Dr. L. S. Songachan. This is a project appointment, not a regular university position.

The research examines how Rhizophagus irregularis symbiosis may help Withania somnifera tolerate cadmium and arsenic while maintaining or improving its phytochemical output. The project brings together plant and fungal experiments, physiological and biochemical measurements, heavy-metal analysis and several omics methods. It is a good fit if your research interests connect plant-microbe interactions, stress biology and data-led laboratory work.

The host laboratory plans to combine transcriptomics, proteomics, peptide characterisation, metabolomics and bioinformatics rather than study a single response in isolation. You should therefore expect a collaborative research setting where careful sample handling, consistent experimental records and the ability to connect laboratory observations with molecular datasets all matter.

Service Conditions and Caveats

• Project tenure: The research project runs for three years, while the initial appointment is for one year. Further extensions are considered annually and depend on satisfactory work and continued project funding.
• Temporary engagement: This fellowship is purely temporary and contractual. It does not create a claim to a permanent BHU position.
• Early closure: Either the principal investigator or the fellow may end the engagement by giving one month's written notice.
• Joining expectation: The person offered the fellowship is expected to join within 15 days of the offer.
• Travel support: BHU will not pay TA or DA for attending the interview.
• Accuracy of records: A material mismatch in your submitted information or documents can lead to cancellation of candidature or termination during the project.
• Final appointment: The principal investigator may limit the shortlist or leave the position unfilled if no suitable person is available.

Application Submission Notes

Your application is complete only when you finish the official Google Form and also email the filled Annexure I with its supporting records to lssongachan@gmail.com. Completing only one of these routes will leave the application incomplete.

Use a working email address and mobile number because BHU will contact shortlisted applicants by email. If you are called in person, carry your updated CV, original certificates and one set of self-attested copies; an online meeting may be considered only in an exceptional case with proper justification.

• Run plant and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi experiments for the research project
• Measure physiological and biochemical responses under heavy-metal stress
• Support cadmium and arsenic analysis using approved laboratory methods
• Prepare samples for transcriptomics, proteomics, peptide and metabolomics work
• Analyse experimental and bioinformatics data with accurate records
• Maintain laboratory logs, samples and project documentation
• Help prepare research updates, reports and scientific outputs