IITM Project Research Scientist I Advt 194/2026

IITM Project Research Scientist I Recruitment 2026: Overview

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has opened the contract post of Project Research Scientist I (Non-Medical) in the Department of Engineering Design, advertised by its Office of Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research (IC&SR) as Advt. No. ICSR/PR/Advt.194/2026. The position sits in a sponsored project coordinated by Prof. Kavitha Arunachalam that is building a hyperthermia device for clinical use — the work runs from engineering optimisation and product design all the way to lab testing, safety qualification against standards and the clinical study that follows. The "Non-Medical" tag means the post is meant for an engineering postgraduate rather than a medical graduate; IIT Madras has advertised a separate medical-stream position of the same grade. The posting is at the Chennai campus on a contract basis, and the Institute has said it wants a more gender-balanced workforce, so women candidates are encouraged to apply.

Service Conditions and Caveats

• Contract basis: The position is purely contractual, and completing the contract gives you no claim to an extension, regularisation or permanency at the Institute.
• Tenure: The appointment runs for one year to begin with and can be extended up to three years, or to the life of the project, based on how you perform.
• Higher qualifications: The qualifications printed in the advert are the minimum. Holding a higher degree does not by itself entitle you to a call for the interview, and only experience gained after the minimum qualifying degree is counted.
• Relaxation: IIT Madras can relax the qualification or experience bar for an exceptionally outstanding candidate, and for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates when enough experienced candidates from those communities are not available.
• Shortlisting: The Institute can cap the number of candidates called for the test or interview using higher qualifications, the level and relevance of experience and other academic achievements, and it can reject any or all applications without giving a reason.
• Already working at IIT Madras: If you are already on an IIT Madras project, apply through proper channel or carry a No Objection Certificate — candidates without an NOC are not allowed to appear for the test or interview.
• Citizenship: You must be an Indian citizen. People who migrated from Pakistan intending to settle permanently in India, and subjects of Nepal, need an eligibility certificate from the Government of India.
• Right not to fill: IIT Madras can choose not to fill the advertised position at all, and only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. No correspondence about the conduct or result of the interview will be entertained, and canvassing in any form disqualifies you.

Application Submission Notes

You apply online only, through the IC&SR careers portal at icandsr.iitm.ac.in/careers/current_openings.php, and you must pick Advt.194/2026 there before submitting. The portal takes a single application per registered login e-mail for one advertisement, so if you want more than one position from this batch, select all of them before you submit — a separate application is needed for each post, and nothing can be edited or reverted once submitted. Applying twice for the same post can get your candidature rejected.

After submitting, take a printout of the form and keep it: you must carry it when called for the test, interview or document verification. Do not post a hard copy to the Institute. All correspondence goes by e-mail, so give an address you actually check. You may also send testimonials from people who know your work well, and if you are employed, from your most recent employer or immediate superior. For portal problems only, write to icsrrecruitment6@icsrpis.iitm.ac.in or icsrrecruitment@icsrpis.iitm.ac.in, or call 044-2257 8843 from Monday to Friday, 9.00 AM to 5.30 PM, except national holidays.

Corrigenda and Notices

• Where changes appear: Any corrigendum or clarification on Advt.194/2026 will be put up on the IC&SR careers page only — no separate message is sent to applicants, so check the page before you submit.

• Contribute to the design and development of the project's hyperthermia device
• Run engineering optimisation studies on the device design
• Work on clinical device development with the project team
• Test devices in the lab and document the results
• Establish device safety against the applicable standards
• Support the clinical study built around the device