ICAR-CRRI JRF and YP-I Nitrogen Fixation Project 2026

ICAR-CRRI JRF and YP-I Recruitment 2026: Overview

ICAR-Central Rice Research Institute (ICAR-CRRI), Cuttack is filling one Junior Research Fellow (JRF) post and one Young Professional-I (YP-I) post through a walk-in interview. Both posts belong to the externally aided project EAP-200, titled "Incentivizing research in agriculture: Genetic modifications to improve biological nitrogen fixation for augmenting nitrogen needs of rice". The aim of the project is to help rice meet more of its nitrogen needs through natural nitrogen fixation instead of fertiliser alone. If you have a background in Microbiology, Biotechnology, Botany or Zoology and want hands-on lab experience at a national rice institute, this is a good entry point.

Posts and Disciplines

• Junior Research Fellow (JRF): a research fellowship for postgraduates in Microbiology, Biotechnology, Botany or Zoology. You must have been selected through a national-level test such as CSIR-UGC NET (including lectureship) or GATE, or a national exam run by DST, DBT, DAE, DOS, DRDO, MoE, ICAR, ICMR, IIT, IISc, IISER, NISER or a similar agency.
• Young Professional-I (YP-I): an entry-level project post for graduates with a B.Sc. (Hons) in Agriculture, Microbiology, Botany or Biotechnology. No national test score is needed for this post.

Post-wise Duties

Junior Research Fellow

You will study how the nitrogen-fixing microbiome interacts with rice, using a multi-omics approach. This is the research core of the project, so expect lab-heavy work that can feed into a thesis or publications.

Young Professional-I

You will work on the characterisation of the nitrogen-fixing microbiome in rice, supporting the project team at the ICAR-CRRI campus in Cuttack.

Service Conditions and Caveats

• Tenure: Both posts are purely temporary and end with the project, up to 31 March 2027 or the end of the project, whichever comes first.
• No absorption: You will have no right to a regular job at ICAR-CRRI or ICAR once the project ends.
• Screening test: If a large number of candidates turn up, a screening test may be held first to shortlist people for the interview.
• Preference: All eligible candidates are treated equally, but work experience in an ICAR institute may get preference.
• NOC: If you are working or studying anywhere, bring a No Objection Certificate from your employer or institution to the interview.
• Other terms: No TA/DA is paid for attending, canvassing leads to disqualification, and the Director may change the number of posts or cancel the process.

Application Submission Notes

There is no online form. Walk in to ICAR-CRRI, Cuttack on the interview day: the YP-I interview starts at 9:30 AM and the JRF interview at 2:00 PM. Late arrivals will not be entertained after the reporting time.

Carry a filled Bio-Data form (downloadable from the ICAR-CRRI website), one recent passport-size photograph, your original certificates from Class 10 onwards with photocopies, and any experience certificates. Bring the originals even if the documents are on DigiLocker.

• Study the interaction between nitrogen-fixing microbes and rice using multi-omics methods (JRF)
• Characterise the nitrogen-fixing microbiome found in rice (YP-I)
• Support the EAP-200 project on improving biological nitrogen fixation in rice
• Carry out lab work at ICAR-CRRI, Cuttack under the Principal Investigator
• Contribute data and results to the project's research goals