NCRA-TIFR Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026: Salary, Eligibility & Deadline

NCRA-TIFR Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 at a Glance

The National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), part of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, conducts research in radio astronomy, astrophysics, instrumentation and related computational areas from its Pune campus.

NCRA-TIFR operates the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) and the Ooty Radio Telescope (ORT). The current central postdoctoral call lists both Open Post-Doctoral Fellowships and Jawaharlal Nehru Post-Doctoral Fellowships.

Current NCRA-TIFR Postdoctoral Fellowship Routes

Open Post-Doctoral Fellowships

The Open Post-Doctoral Fellowship is intended for researchers who want to pursue an independent programme in astronomy, astrophysics, instrumentation, software or related areas that align with NCRA-TIFR’s scientific activities.

Candidates must have at least a provisional PhD degree when they take up the position. The published salary for candidates who have received the doctorate ranges from ₹58,000 to ₹67,000 per month, depending on postdoctoral experience.

Jawaharlal Nehru Post-Doctoral Fellowships

NCRA-TIFR also hosts Jawaharlal Nehru Post-Doctoral Fellows. This route is intended for researchers with stronger postdoctoral experience and requires at least one year of postdoctoral experience before taking up the fellowship.

The current published salary range is ₹55,000 to ₹75,000 per month, depending on postdoctoral experience.

Jawaharlal Nehru Fellows are selected by a special committee chaired by the Director of TIFR Mumbai. NCRA states that, at any given time, only 12 Nehru Fellows are hosted across TIFR and all its centres.

Research Areas at NCRA-TIFR

NCRA-TIFR’s activities are centred on low-frequency radio astronomy but extend across observational, theoretical, computational, algorithmic and instrumentation research.

Current areas identified by NCRA include:

• Solar physics
• Pulsars
• Active galactic nuclei
• Interstellar medium
• Supernova remnants
• Galactic Centre studies
• Nearby galaxies
• High-redshift galaxies
• Evolution of fundamental constants
• Observational cosmology
• Theoretical cosmology
• Epoch of reionization
• Astronomical algorithms and software
• Radio astronomy instrumentation

Applicants do not necessarily need a purely radio-astronomy background. NCRA explicitly encourages researchers from theory, algorithm development and other observational wavebands where the proposed work has useful synergy with radio astronomy, the GMRT, the ORT or NCRA engineering activities.

Who Can Apply?

Open Postdoctoral Fellowship

The current official call requires candidates to have at least a provisional PhD degree when taking up the position.

This means final-stage doctoral candidates may potentially prepare an application where they will satisfy the degree requirement before joining, but the current official page does not give a separate thesis-submission or defence deadline.

Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship

Candidates must have at least one year of postdoctoral experience before taking up the fellowship.

Nationality

The current NCRA-TIFR fellowship pages do not state a nationality restriction. Applicants should therefore avoid relying on third-party claims about nationality eligibility and contact NCRA directly if immigration or appointment eligibility is relevant to their circumstances.

Research fit

Applicants should be able to demonstrate a credible independent research programme connected to NCRA’s astronomy, astrophysics, radio-astronomy, theoretical, computational, algorithmic or engineering environment.

Salary, Research Funding and Benefits

Salary depends on experience after the doctoral degree. Applicants should not assume that everyone enters at the maximum published figure.

Duration

Both current fellowship routes are tenable for three years, with continuation subject to annual review. Outstanding performance may allow an extension up to a maximum total duration of five years.

Documents Required

The current official fellowship pages request a concise application package rather than a large online form.

Applicants should submit:

• Curriculum vitae;
• research plan;
• names and email addresses of three or more referees.

Applicants must separately ask their referees to send recommendation letters to NCRA-TIFR by the same deadline.

The official call does not prescribe a page limit for the research plan on the current public fellowship pages. Applicants should therefore avoid inventing their own interpretation of an unofficial page limit unless NCRA provides further instructions directly.

How to Apply for NCRA-TIFR Postdoctoral Fellowships

1. Review NCRA-TIFR’s current research activities and identify the strongest scientific fit.
2. Decide whether you wish to state a particular preference for the Open Fellowship, Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship or another available NCRA postdoctoral position.
3. Prepare a current academic CV.
4. Write a research plan aligned with your independent research programme and NCRA’s facilities or expertise.
5. Identify at least three referees and obtain their agreement to provide recommendation letters.
6. Email the CV, research plan and referee contact details to the Dean, NCRA-TIFR Faculty.
7. Ask referees to send their letters to the same official email address by the deadline.
8. Complete both parts before 31 October 2026.

NCRA-TIFR currently specifies email submission rather than an online postdoctoral application portal.

The official programme pages and application email are provided in the Official Sources and Application Links section below.

CareerAidHub Applicant Guidance

Do not submit a generic astrophysics proposal

The strongest research plan should make clear why NCRA-TIFR is an appropriate environment for the work. Where genuinely relevant, connect your project to GMRT, ORT, radio data, NCRA expertise, algorithms, instrumentation or complementary theoretical work.

Demonstrate independence

NCRA expects fellows to pursue a vigorous independent research programme. The proposal should therefore show how the project develops beyond the applicant’s doctoral thesis rather than simply extending the same work without a clear new direction.

Choose referees who can assess research potential

NCRA requests three or more referees. Choose researchers who can comment specifically on your scientific contributions, independence, technical capability and ability to develop a postdoctoral research programme.

Submit before the final day

No deadline time is published. Because the application and letters are handled by email, applicants should avoid uncertainty over late-day submissions and complete the process before 31 October where possible.

Researchers comparing other opportunities can browse CareerAidHub’s current postdoctoral fellowships and research jobs and research positions.