IIT Kharagpur JRF Recruitment 2026

IIT Kharagpur JRF Recruitment 2026: Overview

Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur) is recruiting a Junior Research Fellow for the Materials Science Centre under principal investigator Debabrata Pradhan. The role is connected with research on single-atom catalysts supported on different materials for efficient electrocatalytic and photocatalytic hydrogen production. It is a project-based opening suited to someone who wants laboratory research experience at the intersection of materials science, chemistry, nanotechnology, and clean-energy conversion.

The project focuses on catalyst design and hydrogen production, so your academic background needs to support experimental work with functional materials and electrochemical or light-driven reactions. The official details place value on a strong result in the last qualifying examination and a valid national-level qualification for the usual basic-science route. Candidates with relevant advanced technology degrees are treated differently under the stated qualification route, making it important to match your degree and examination record carefully.

The Materials Science Centre provides an interdisciplinary setting where synthesis, characterisation, and performance testing come together. You should be comfortable learning across subject boundaries rather than treating the work as only chemistry or only materials engineering. The role is research-focused and linked to a defined project, so lab records, reproducibility, data interpretation, and regular progress discussions with the principal investigator will be central to the work.

Service Conditions and Caveats

• Project appointment: this is a temporary research position tied to the sponsored project, not a regular institute post.
• Research progression: the project details describe a JRF phase followed by possible progression to SRF in the third year, subject to the stated project arrangement and satisfactory work.
• Doctoral pathway: registration for a PhD is preferred, making the post particularly relevant if you want to develop the project work into doctoral research.
• Academic route: a national-level examination route applies to the basic-science or professional-course qualification pathway specified in the advertisement.
• Relevant advanced degrees: the project details state that GATE or NET is not needed for applicants holding an M.Tech in areas such as Nanotechnology, Physics, or Materials Science.
• Work location: laboratory and project work will be based at IIT Kharagpur in West Bengal.

Application Submission Notes

Use the IIT Kharagpur Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy recruitment portal for the detailed advertisement and online application. The main advertisement screen lists several unrelated projects, so match the Materials Science Centre, Debabrata Pradhan, and JRF details before opening the form. Do not choose another JRF entry simply because the post title is the same.

Present your degree, examination qualification, and relevant subject background clearly in the portal. Where the form allows supporting detail, connect your preparation to chemistry, materials science, nanotechnology, catalyst research, or electrochemical methods rather than using a general research statement.

• Prepare and optimise supported single-atom catalyst materials for the research project
• Run electrocatalytic and photocatalytic hydrogen-production experiments
• Characterise materials and connect structural results with catalytic performance
• Keep accurate laboratory notebooks, sample records, and experimental datasets
• Analyse results and discuss reproducibility, controls, and next experiments with the PI
• Review relevant research papers and help prepare technical presentations and reports
• Follow institute laboratory safety, equipment, and research-integrity practices