PhD Admissions [AT] CSE IIT Ropar

Since its establishment in 2008, the CSE department, IIT Ropar,  has evolved into a welcoming community for scholars and faculty members alike. Currently, the department boasts a team of 23 dedicated faculty members and a vibrant cohort of over 80 PhD students. The department’s research expertise spans across theoretical computer science, artificial intelligence, and computer systems. While navigating the dynamic landscape of computer science, the department remains committed to exploration and innovation. Collaborative partnerships with academia, industry, and government agencies are instrumental in fostering progress and impact. Together, the department engages in projects of national significance, driving technological advancement and societal progress.

Research Areas

Department faculty are involved in various state-of-the-art research and development activities spanning various areas in Computer Science and Engineering, listed below:

AI/ML:

Information Retrieval, Speech and Natural Language Processing, Learning with Graphs, Reinforcement Learning, Game Theory and Mechanism Design, Image Processing, Computer Vision, Medical Image Computing, Large Language Models, Multimedia systems, Computer Vision, Medical image processing, Natural Language processing, Education technology

Computing Systems:

Computer Networks, Operating Systems, Computer Architecture, Compilers and Programming Languages, Database Systems, Distributed Systems/Computing, Network and Information Security, Embedded Systems, Wireless Networks and Sensors, Software Engineering, System Dynamics, Technology for Social Development, IoT, Systems for AI/ML, Databases, Cloud computing, Quantum computing, Intrusion Detection Systems, Malware Analysis and Cyber-Security, Blockchain technology, Education technology, Applied Cryptography

Theory:

Algorithms and Complexity Theory, Cryptography, Combinatorics, Graph Theory, Geometry, Formal Methods and Verification, Logic and Automata Theory, Approximation Algorithms, quantum computing, Social network analysis

Categories of Admission

Candidates will be admitted to the Ph.D. program of the Institute through an institute selection process under any one of the following categories:

REGULAR FULL-TIME Ph.D.

1. Institute fellowship: Candidates under this category are entitled for Institute Research Assistantship/Fellowship as per Ministry of Education, Govt. of India norms.

2. Govt./ Semi Govt. Fellowship Awardees, such as PMRF, CSIR-JRF, UGC-JRF, DST- INSPIRE, DBT, NBHM, PMRF, QIP, DST- WISE PhD, etc. or any other full time fellowship: These candidates are financially supported under various Govt./Semi Govt. schemes. The admission procedure and other requirements are the same as applicable to research scholars/institute fellowship.

3. Fellowship through Project (FTP): The admission procedure and other requirements for research Fellows (JRFs/SRFs) in various projects/schemes in the institute who wish to enroll for the PhD programme are the same as applicable to Institute Research Scholars. They will be paid assistantship/fellowships as per the norms of the project and sanctioned amount. The candidate has to fulfill all the eligibility requirements of the funding agency and the institute criteria.

4. Self financed Indian Nationals, including those on Study Leave (SF): The candidates admitted under this category are not eligible for any financial support from the Institute  (IIT Ropar). Candidates with the provisional DST INSPIRE fellowship award letter may apply under SelfFinance (SF) category. After successful admission, if the candidate subsequently clears the final round of selection of DST INSPIRE, s/he would be allowed to convert from the SelfFinance (SF) to Fellowship  Award (FA) category. Candidates who are released from the Government or educational Institutions on study  leave for a period not less than three years for doing research work at IIT Ropar, can seek admission under this category. Employer’s Letter for Study Leave should be produced at the ti888o99me of joining, if selected.

5. Sponsored Candidate (SW):  The candidates admitted under this category are not eligible for any financial support from the Institute (IIT Ropar) and are sponsored by their employers. They are expected to be relieved for full time course work and research at the Institute for a minimum period of three years. An appropriate sponsorship letter should be submitted at the time of written test and/or interview.

PART-TIME Ph.D.

1. External Registration Program (ERP):  This category refers to a candidate employed in an R&D organization/academic institution/industry having adequate research facilities. The research work leading to the Ph.D. degree may be carried out largely in the parent organization of the candidate under a Local Supervisor from the organization but with the overall guidance provided by a faculty member (Institute Supervisor) of the department in which the candidate is registered.  A candidate in this category is a professionally employed person having regular employment in Government Organizations, like MEITY, DRDO, MHA, CSIR, Central Universities (including IIT Ropar regular staff), the employees of National and International reputed private organizations/industries, viz. Reliance, TATA, Birla, Samsung, Nokia, Infosys, GE, similar MNC companies, etc., who would like to pursue the Ph.D. program while continuing the employment at their parent organization. The institute does not provide any financial assistance/fellowship to such a candidate. Temporary employees, outsourced employees, employees from private universities, start- ups, small enterprises etc are not eligible.

2. Part-time: A research scholar under the Part time PhD Programme will carry out major part or all of his/her research work at IIT Ropar under the supervision of supervisor(s) at IIT Ropar. The feasibility of doing this with sufficient intensity will be an important consideration in admitting the scholar in this category. A candidate in this category is a professionally employed person having regular employment in Government Organizations, like MEITY, DRDO, MHA, CSIR, Central Universities (including IIT Ropar regular staff), the employees of National and International reputed private organizations/industries viz. Reliance, TATA, Birla, Samsung, Nokia, Infosys, GE, similar MNC companies, etc., who would like to pursue the Ph.D. program while continuing the employment at their parent organization. The institute does not provide any financial assistance/fellowship to such a candidate.  Temporary employees, outsourced employees, employees from private universities, start- ups, small enterprises etc are not eligible.

3. IIT Ropar regular Staff: Members of non-teaching staff (working in permanent capacity, including technical and non-technical) may be permitted to join the Ph.D. program under this category. All common rules laid down in the Ph.D. Regulations relating to course work, prosecution of research work under the supervision of a member of faculty, etc. shall be applicable.

Regulations pertaining to all kinds of PhD programs will be common, unless stated otherwise.
Regular Full-time Ph.D.

For the Minimum Eligibility Qualification (MEQ) for admission to Regular Full-time Ph.D programmes refer table 1 below:

Eligibility Requirement for ERP candidates

1. Minimum Eligibility Requirements: In addition to possessing the academic qualifications mentioned in the table 1 under regular full-time Ph.D program, an applicant should fulfill the following additional requirements also:
2. GATE or equivalent qualification: GATE or Equivalent Qualification is not required for admission.
3. Professional Experience: Should have completed full time employment of 2 years of service as on the deadline of application.
4. Organization/Institution: Organization/Institution must have at least 5 years of its existence for sponsoring candidates to the ERP programme. Only persons engaged in R & D work in Technical / Scientific Institutions/ Industries or R & D Establishments are eligible. The organization should have adequate facilities for carrying out research. All CFTIs/GFTIs will be considered irrespective of their years of existence.
5. Sponsorship/NOC Unconditional sponsorship or NOC by the employer is essential and a must at the time of joining. IIT Ropar will not have any financial liability for the candidate throughout the tenure of PhD. The sponsorship certificate must be provided in the format specified at FORMAT- A.

Eligibility Requirement for Part-Time candidates

1. Minimum eligibility requirements: In addition to possessing the academic qualifications mentioned in the table 1 under regular full-time Ph.D program, an applicant should fulfill the following additional requirements also:
2. Professional Experience: The minimum full-time experience required after obtaining the qualifying degree and as on date of application deadline, is given in table 2 below:

Sr. No.	Qualifications	Work Experience (Post Qualification)
1	M.E./M.Tech./M.S.(R)/M.D. or Equivalent	Nil
2	B.Tech./BE with valid GATE	Nil
3	B.E./B.Tech./M.Sc./M.A./M.B.A./MBBS or equivalent, from CFTIs/Central Universities	1 Year
4	B.E./B.Tech./M.Sc./M.A./MBA/MBBS or equivalent, from institutions other than CFTIs/Central Universities	2 Years

3. Minimum Eligibility Qualification for these candidates is the same as for full-time candidates, except that the requirement of qualifying in a national examination is waived for serial No. 1, 3 and 4 of above table.

The subject test will be divided into sections across panels. The questions are MCQs and fill-in-blanks. You should attempt only questions from the sections pertaining to your panel(s) of choice.

4. No Objection Certificate:  Part-time candidates are required to submit a “No Objection Certificate” on a proper letterhead from the Head of the Institute/Competent authority in the organization on the specified format given at FORMAT-B. If the candidate after joining the PhD program changes the organization, he should inform the Institute immediately and get NoC from the new organization as well.

Eligibility Requirement for IIT Ropar Staff

1. Minimum eligibility requirements: In addition to possessing the academic qualifications mentioned in the table 1 under regular full-time Ph.D program, an applicant should fulfill the following additional requirements also:
2. GATE or equivalent qualification:  Minimum qualification for these candidates is the same as for regular PhD candidates except that the requirement of qualifying in a national examination (e.g., GATE or equivalent) is waived off.
3. No Objection Certificate:  Prior permission/No Objection Certificate (NOC) has to be obtained from competent authority before applying for admission to the program. NOC has to be submitted at the time of submission of application. Institute work should not suffer due to joining the PhD programme by the candidate.
4. Selection Procedure: Short-listed eligible staff will be called for a written exam or interview or both. Final selection is based on the performance of the staff in the written exam or interview or both.
5. Fellowship: Members of staff permitted and enrolled for the PhD degree shall not be entitled to institute fellowship.
6. Duration: The minimum period to be spent in the research work registered under the Part-Time Ph.D. degree for staff shall be 4 years. The maximum period admissible for completion of the course work, research work and submission of the thesis, shall, however, remain to be the same as in the case of regular candidates.

International Candidates– Admission to Ph.D

Foreign Nationals are those with foreign passports including those who are Person of Indian Origin (PIO) / Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card holders.  Foreign nationals can only register as full-time scholars. Foreign nationals with eligible degrees from Indian Universities will be treated on par with Indian nationals for admission purposes with prescribed fee for foreign nationals. Foreign nationals with foreign degrees must meet the minimum educational requirements as specified on the website/admission brochure.

Registration for the Ph.D. Degree

The selected candidates who have submitted the institute fee will be provided the Entry No. and institute email ID after the verification of all their testimonials.  Candidates joining Ph.D programme are required to produce their original marks/grade sheets along with provisional certificates at the time of admission. Original Documents to be submitted for verification at the time of interview/admission: 
1. Printed copy of the application form obtained after online registration. 
2. Mark sheets/Grade cards of all semesters & Course completion certificate / Provisional certificate / Degree certificate beginning from first degree towards proof of qualification. 
3. Copy of GATE score card or UGC - JRF/NET/CSIR-JRF/ DAE-JEST or other fellowship award letter. 
4. SC/ST/OBC-NCL community certificate for the candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC-NCL category issued by the respective State Government. [OBC-NCL candidates should produce the latest valid OBC Non-creamy layer community certificate in the prescribed format obtained after 31/03/2023].  The candidates claiming for EWS (Economically Weaker sections) reservation should submit valid Income & Assets certificate in the prescribed format obtained after 31/03/2023. 
5. Authorised Doctor’s Certificate with disability descriptions in the case of Person with Disability (PwD) candidates.
6. For Part-time candidates, NOC from the present employer should be submitted as per the prescribed format.

Formats / Templates:
Sponsor Certificate
NoC Template Location and Accessibility

The Institute is located at Ropar, the headquarters of Rupnagar district, Punjab. This institute, with its establishment, joins a string of premier educational institutions in Punjab. The town of Ropar, the district headquarters, is 42 kms from Chandigarh, the capital of Punjab. Rupnagar is well connected by both road (National highway NH21 / NH205) and railways (the Delhi-Ambala-Una railway line passes through Rupnagar).

By Air:

The nearest international Airport is in Chandigarh, about 50kms from Rupnagar. Any visitor wishing to come to Rupnagar/Ropar could take a flight from his/her respective place to Chandigarh, if available, or a flight from Delhi to Chandigarh and then take a taxi from the airport to reach the campus of Indian Institute of Technology Ropar (IIT Ropar) which is approximately one-and-a-half-hour journey.

By Train:

There are regular trains running between Delhi and Rupnagar. The Delhi-Ambala-Una railway line passes through Rupnagar. The duration of the journey is around six hours from Delhi.