IIT ISM Dhanbad Project JRF (CSE) Recruitment 2026

IIT ISM Dhanbad Project JRF (CSE) Recruitment 2026: Overview

Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad (IIT ISM Dhanbad) is hiring a Junior Research Fellow (JRF) for a cybersecurity research project in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, funded under an ANRF (Anusandhan National Research Foundation) grant and led by Principal Investigator Prof. Nikhil Tripathi. The project, titled "Design and Development of an AI-Driven Offensive Reconnaissance Framework for Proactive Exposure Mapping and Risk Forecasting in India's Critical Internet Infrastructure," looks at how India's critical internet infrastructure can be scanned, mapped and defended before attackers exploit it. The work spans internet-scale measurement tools like ZMap and Masscan, honeypot deployment, and machine learning models built with Gradient Boosted Trees, Graph Neural Networks and LSTMs — so this role suits someone who enjoys both hands-on security research and applied AI. Candidates with a GATE or NET qualification in Computer Science, Data Science, Electronics or Mathematics, or prior exposure to ethical hacking and network scanning tools, are a strong fit.

Service Conditions and Caveats

• Tenure: The position runs for a maximum of three years or until the project ends, whichever comes first — the funding is tied to the ANRF grant cycle.
• Selection: Meeting the minimum qualification does not guarantee an interview call — the PI shortlists candidates based on merit and the specific needs of the project, and only shortlisted candidates are contacted with an interview date.
• Interview mode: The interview is conducted entirely online via video conferencing; a meeting link is shared with shortlisted candidates closer to the date.
• Fellowship revision: The higher third-year fellowship amount is awarded only after a satisfactory performance assessment at the end of the second year.

Application Submission Notes

You need to fill the online application form linked in the official notice and attach a recent CV with photograph, your GATE/NET or other national-level qualification certificate, copies of any publications and awards, and a recommendation letter. There is no offline mode for this position — everything, including document upload, happens through the online form. Shortlisted candidates will be informed of their interview date by email, so keep your contact details in the form accurate.

• Run ethical internet-scale scans using ZMap and Masscan across approved IP ranges
• Collect and integrate data from Censys, CAIDA Spoofer, RIPE RIS, RouteViews and NVD
• Deploy honeypots such as Cowrie and Dionaea to capture attacker-behaviour signals
• Build exposure-prediction models using Gradient Boosted Trees, GNNs and LSTMs
• Simulate network topologies in ns-3 to test the operational impact of high-risk assets
• Develop a visual analytics dashboard for the research findings
• Contribute to sector-specific mitigation guidelines and technical documentation