IIT Kanpur Principal Project Associate Recruitment 2026

IIT Kanpur is hiring 1 Principal Project Associate in its Department of Electrical Engineering for a cybersecurity research project. If you have a Master's degree with 8 years of experience or a Ph.D. with 4 years of experience in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field, you can apply by email. The last date to apply is 10 August 2026. This is a temporary post for 1 year, and the salary is Rs. 49,000 per month plus HRA.

Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) Principal Project Associate Recruitment 2026 - 1 Post

The Department of Electrical Engineering at IIT Kanpur has released Advertisement Number P.Rect./R&D/2026/155 for 1 Principal Project Associate post under the project “Automated system for Cybersecurity Policies, Assessments, Audits, Ranking and IR”. This project aims to build an automated system that helps organizations quickly assess, audit, and rank their cybersecurity policies, with built-in support for incident response (IR) and regulatory compliance. You will architect, implement, and optimize AI-driven, compliance-aware systems — spanning backend APIs, AI/LLM model integration, and full-stack product engineering — with a strong focus on cybersecurity intelligence and secure software design.

Your day-to-day work involves designing scalable backend services with Python (FastAPI/Django) in a microservices architecture, building secure REST and GraphQL APIs, developing AI-powered modules for automated policy generation using Generative AI, and creating responsive dashboards with React.js and Next.js for compliance visualization. You will also set up automated testing and CI/CD pipelines to keep the application reliable, work on Explainable AI (XAI) methods that make AI-assisted compliance decisions easier to trust, and help translate cybersecurity regulations and standards such as ISO 27001, NIST CSF, and India's DPDP Act into machine-readable compliance rules. This role suits experienced software professionals who want to apply their skills to cutting-edge cybersecurity research at one of India's top technical institutes.

Salary for this post follows MEITY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) norms, which is typical for R&D projects at IIT Kanpur's Department of Electrical Engineering. As a Principal Project Associate, you would be the senior-most technical contributor on this project, expected to work with minimal supervision and take ownership of system architecture decisions, in coordination with the Principal Investigator, Prof. Ankush Sharma.

IIT Kanpur is one of India's oldest and most respected technical institutes, known for its strong research culture in electrical engineering, computer science, and applied AI. Working here gives you access to modern research infrastructure and the chance to contribute to publications and patents arising from the project. This role also suits experienced industry professionals who want to move into public-interest research at a premier academic institution.

Who Can Apply?

• Qualification (Option 1): Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field with a minimum of 8 years of experience.
• Qualification (Option 2): Ph.D. in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field with a minimum of 4 years of experience.
• Skills you should have: Python, FastAPI/Django, SQL/NoSQL, RESTful APIs, React/Next.js, and LLM frameworks like LangChain, Hugging Face, OpenAI, or Ollama.
• Also useful: Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud deployment, plus knowledge of cybersecurity compliance frameworks such as ISO 27001, NIST CSF, and the DPDP Act.
• Seniority: This is a Principal-level position, so you should be comfortable working independently and mentoring junior team members if needed.
• You should be able to demonstrate that you have built and shipped functional AI-powered products or research prototypes.

Salary

• You will get Rs. 49,000 per month plus House Rent Allowance (HRA) as per MEITY norms.
• This is a fixed consolidated pay for the sanctioned 1-year duration of the post.

Selection Process (No Written Exam)

IIT Kanpur will select the Principal Project Associate through the following process:

1. Application Screening: Your resume will be reviewed against the minimum qualification and experience criteria mentioned above.
2. Interview: Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed over a suitable online conferencing platform.

There is no written test for this post. Candidates who do not meet the minimum qualifications and work experience will not be notified or called for an interview.

How to Apply

1. Prepare a detailed resume clearly mentioning your qualifications, technical skills, and work experience.
2. Arrange 2 professional references from people you have worked with (not relatives).
3. Email your application to iitkmanpower@gmail.com.
4. Use the subject line specified in the notification when sending your email.
5. Keep your calendar free after the last date, in case you are called for an online interview on short notice.

You can direct queries to Prof. Ankush Sharma, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Kanpur, Kanpur 208016, Uttar Pradesh.

Important Dates

• Advertisement Date: 30 July 2026
• Last Date to Apply: 10 August 2026
• Post Duration: 1 year (temporary)

• Design, develop, and maintain scalable backend services using Python (FastAPI/Django) in a microservices architecture
• Develop and maintain secure RESTful and GraphQL APIs for cybersecurity policy management and compliance intelligence
• Implement automated testing, CI/CD pipelines, and DevOps practices for reliable, scalable applications
• Build AI-powered modules for automated cybersecurity policy generation and recommendations
• Develop benchmarking, compliance interpretation, and report summarization features using Generative AI
• Translate cybersecurity regulations and standards into machine-readable rules and compliance engines
• Build responsive frontend dashboards using React.js and Next.js for compliance visualization
• Prepare technical documentation and research publications, and coordinate with project investigators and collaborators