IIT Goa JRF Mechanobiology Recruitment 2026

IIT Goa JRF Mechanobiology Recruitment 2026: Overview

Indian Institute of Technology Goa (IIT Goa) is hiring a Junior Research Fellow (JRF) in its School of Mechanical Sciences. The fellow will work on a Department of Science and Technology (DST) funded project titled "Cell and nuclear response in a uniaxial stretcher with micropatterns recapitulating native tissue morphology". In simple words, the lab studies how cells and their nuclei react when they are stretched on patterned surfaces that copy the shape of real body tissue.

The research area is mechanobiology — where biology meets mechanics. That makes this post unusual: it sits in a mechanical sciences school but is aimed at biotechnology and biology graduates. If you enjoy lab work and are curious about imaging and data analysis, this is a hands-on entry into interdisciplinary research at a young IIT, under advertisement IITGoa/DoRD/020/REC/2026.

Service Conditions and Caveats

• Project post: This is a project-funded fellowship, not a regular institute job. The appointment runs for one year, with the option to extend.
• Mostly lab work: The work is primarily experimental — cell culture, confocal imaging, atomic force microscopy, traction force microscopy, micromechanisms and molecular biology — with room to collaborate on image analysis and computation.
• HRA, medical and leave: HRA follows the funding agency norms; medical and leave benefits follow IIT Goa norms.
• Shortlisting: If many people apply, a committee may call only a limited number based on desirable qualification or academic record. Candidates not called will not be contacted.
• No travel allowance: No TA/DA is paid for attending the selection process.
• Joining: The selected candidate must join within a reasonable time after receiving the offer.

Application Submission Notes

You apply by filling in the Google Form linked in the advertisement before 5:00 PM on the closing day. Any change to the last date will be posted on the IIT Goa project positions page, so check it before you submit.

For questions, email res-staff-rect@iitgoa.ac.in and mention project number 2026/EMR/SB/096 in the subject line. Informal queries about the research can go to the Principal Investigator, Dr. Sreenath Balakrishnan, at sreenath@iitgoa.ac.in.

• Culture and maintain cells for stretching experiments
• Capture cell and nuclear images using confocal microscopy
• Run atomic force microscopy and traction force microscopy measurements
• Prepare micropatterned substrates for the uniaxial stretcher setup
• Carry out molecular biology assays as the project needs
• Analyse image data and help with computational modelling work
• Keep lab records and report progress to the Principal Investigator