Apply for Junior Research Fellowships for Research in Life Sciences at Tata Memorial Centre

Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Kharghar, Navi Mumbai-410210, a Grant-in-Aid Institution of the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India; has invited applications for the award of Junior Research Fellowships [JRF 2025] for Ph.D. in Life Sciences. 

The Ph.D. program in Life Sciences is affiliated with the Homi Bhabha National Institute (Deemed to be university). The research programs at ACTREC amalgamate both fundamental and translational approaches to answer questions related to Cancer Biology, Cancer Prevention and Disease Intervention. The studies comprehend basic Tumor Biology and Elucidation of myriads of networks involved in cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, metastasis, carcinogenesis, stem cell biology, biochemistry, immunology, cancer genomics, genetics, epigenetics, DNA repair, metabolic reprogramming, pharmacology, and therapy resistance. 

Advanced state-of-the-art facilities at ACTREC encompass digital and electron microscopy, animal house, spectroscopy, molecular imaging, flow cytometry, biophysics, structural biology, bioinformatics, and proteomics thus providing robust infrastructural support and expertise to address challenging research questions. 

Eligibility

Applicant should hold a BS(Research) 4-year / (B.S./ B.Sc.) 4 year/ 8 Semester Bachelor’s degree in Science including 1-year research with minimum of 75% aggregate marks or should hold M.Sc./M.Tech. (Applied Biology / Biochemistry / Bioinformatics / Biophysics / Biotechnology / Botany / Life Sciences / Microbiology/ Molecular Biology / Zoology or related Biological Sciences / Physics / Chemistry / Mathematics) / M.V.Sc./ M.Pharm./M.D./ D.M./ M.Ch. from a recognized University, with 55% aggregate marks. Those awaiting results may also apply. Those who have done post-graduation course of only one-year duration are not eligible. Final admission is subject to the candidate satisfying HBNI eligibility criteria as mentioned above. TMC reserves the right to increase the minimum eligibility criteria in case of receipt of large number of applications. 

Stipend

Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) will be Rs. 37000/+ 27% HRA per month. HRA is applicable only if hostel facility is not opted. JRF will get converted to SRF based on fellow’s performance in the 3rd year. Limited hostel facility is available on a first come, first served basis for the new entrants for a period of one year. Ph.D. scholars are also entitled to avail the In-house medical facility and local transport services. Revisions in the fellowship if any will be implemented as per guidelines. 

Application

Application can be submitted online at https://actrec.gov.in/ (Education & Training > JRF 2025 links) latest by 6th December 2024. Application fees for Males is Rs.1000/- and for females, Rs.750/-. For others it is Rs. 600/-. SC, ST, OBC and differently abled (PH candidates with minimum 40% disability) candidates are exempted for paying the application fee as per government rules. Application fees should be paid online.

Selection

A list of eligible candidates short-listed for the Online Objective Entrance Exam will be displayed tentatively between 2nd and 3rd week of December ‘24 on the ACTREC website. The Online Exam will be conducted from 9 am to 12 noon on January 05, 2025 in 10 Examination Centres located in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi NCR, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Indore, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, and Varanasi. Applicants have to give 3 choices of Exam Centre in their application. In case the number of students opting for a centre is below 75, the students opting for that centre will be accommodated at either their second or third choice of centre. 

Eligibility for Direct Interview

Those (i) holding valid Junior Research Fellowships awarded after qualifying a national level written entrance test conducted by CSIR/ UGC/ ICMR/ DBT or other recognized agencies (ii) who receive external fellowship intimation tentatively by 1st week of April, 2025 are eligible for direct interview. They must send their proof of the award by e-mail to jrf2025@actrec.gov.in to seek direct interview dates. However, online application for ACTREC JRF2025 is mandatory for Direct Interview category also..

Qualified Joint Graduate Entrance Examination for Biology and Interdisciplinary Life Sciences (JGEEBILS) eligible for ACTREC Ph.D. program will be shortlisted and displayed on the ACTREC website in due course of time.

Those holding a valid external Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and those whose names appear in the ACTREC - JGEEBILS list, can apply for the PhD JRF 2025 admissions when the portal reopens in February 2025. 

JRF Interview Dates

The list of candidates qualifying for interview based on the ACTREC online exam results or eligible for direct interview will be displayed at the website tentatively in March 2025. Interviews of candidates who have cleared the ACTREC entrance test as well as those eligible for direct Interviews will be conducted between April and June 2025. The exact dates will be displayed on the ACTREC website. 

Research Projects

The list of JRF projects being offered to Ph.D. students at ACTREC will be displayed on the ACTREC website in due course of time. 

Declaration of the Results

The list of candidates to be called for interviews will be displayed on the ACTREC website.