IIT Madras HSS Project Consultant Advt 223/2026

IIT Madras Project Consultant Recruitment 2026: Overview

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) is looking for a senior Project Consultant in its Department of Humanities and Social Sciences under advertisement Advt.223/2026, issued by the Office of Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research (IC&SR). The post is part of the research project “Social Media and Gen AI Safety in India: Youth and Parent Perspectives from Four States”, funded by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), New Delhi, with Prof. Mathangi Krishnamurthy as coordinator.

This is the overall project lead position. You will own the study design, sampling, budget, hiring and evaluation across every phase, co-lead the research outputs with the co-PIs, and be the person who deals with MeitY and state-level officials. The notice also promises co-authorship on the reports and papers that come out of the survey.

Two other Project Consultant notices for the same MeitY project came out alongside this one: Advt.222/2026 covers research design and writing, and Advt.224/2026 covers survey operations. Choose Advt.223/2026 on the portal if you are applying for the project-lead role.

Service Conditions and Caveats

• Contract only: The post is purely contractual. Completing the contract gives you no right to an extension, regularisation or a permanent job at the institute.
• Tenure: The engagement runs for one year to begin with and can be extended based on your performance.
• Track record matters: Beyond the PhD, the notice asks for experience running large-scale research projects, mentoring teams and working with grant agencies and central and state governments, plus an academic track record.
• Citizenship: You must be an Indian citizen. Subjects of Nepal and people who migrated from Pakistan to settle permanently in India can also apply, but need an eligibility certificate from the Ministry of Home Affairs before appointment.
• Which experience counts: Only relevant experience gained after your minimum qualifying degree is considered. The institute may relax the qualification or experience for exceptionally outstanding candidates, and may relax experience for SC/ST candidates at its discretion.
• Current IIT Madras project staff: Apply through proper channel or bring a No-Objection Certificate — without it you cannot appear for the test or interview.
• Shortlisting: The institute may limit the number of people called for a test or interview and contacts only shortlisted applicants.
• Eligibility cut-off: Every condition is checked as on the closing date of the online application.

Application Submission Notes

Apply only on the IC&SR careers portal and select Advt.223/2026 from the openings list. The portal allows one application per login email for each advertisement, so pick every position you want under the same advert before you submit — the form cannot be edited or withdrawn later.

Do not send a hard copy. Print your submitted form and bring it when you are called for the test, interview or document check. The institute writes to you only by email, so use an inbox you check daily.

For technical problems with the form only, email icsrrecruitment@icsrpis.iitm.ac.in or icsrrecruitment6@icsrpis.iitm.ac.in, or call 044-2257 8843 from 9 AM to 5:30 PM, Monday to Friday.

• Lead the project overall, covering study design, sampling, budgeting, hiring and evaluation across all phases
• Oversee research quality and co-lead the research outputs and deliverables with the co-PIs
• Coordinate the project staff and keep the project on track to deliver its outputs on time
• Prepare the survey instruments, sampling plan and field testing with the co-investigators and team
• Guide the data analysis and the preparation of the final deliverables with the project team
• Liaise with MeitY and state-level officials to keep the project moving smoothly