Biotechnology Research Innovation Council-Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (BRIC-CDFD), a Research institute under the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India, Inner Ring Road. Uppal Hyderabad, Telangana – 500039, has invited applications from highly motivated candidates for admission to its PhD Program (PhD-I-2026).

BRIC – CDFD provides services in the areas of DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, and performs cutting-edge research in several frontier areas of Modern Biology. The current research themes include Cell & Molecular Biology, Computational Biology, Disease Biology, Genetics, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology. Details are available at www.cdfd.org.in

Keeping in view the interdisciplinary nature of Modern Biology, the Centre encourage persons from diverse backgrounds to apply.

Those admitted as PhD Scholars would be encouraged to register under the PhD program of the Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad.

Eligibility: Applicant must have a Master’s degree in any branch of Science, Technology or Agriculture or an MBBS from a recognised University/Institute.

Fellowship: A valid fellowship is an absolute requirement for pursuing a PhD at CDFD. Applicant must have qualified for a Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) from CSIR / UGC/DBT/ICMR/ DST INSPIRE/UGC-RGNF or any other similar examination with a fellowship. The fellowship must be valid at the time of joining (January / February 2026). A candidate who has activated a fellowship elsewhere and wishes to transfer the fellowship to CDFD will be eligible only if the fellowship was activated within 6 months of the date of the final interview.

Those whose fellowship result is awaited may also apply. But the applicant must update the fellowship status positively before the first round of interview, via email to rsp@cdfd.org.in. Only those applicants who submit proof of having a valid fellowship will be eligible for the first interview.

Those having qualified for Project -JRF under the ICMR-funded project Scheme [which is only for a period of two years] or DBT JRF NET with a B.Tech. [Biotechnology] degree or DBT JRF NET under DBT-B category list or LS-NET qualification only in CSIR-UGC (NET) examination are not eligible to apply.

Application: Application can be submitted online at https://www.cdfd.org.in/ by 6 pm on 28.10.2025 at the application link provided in the Notification. It is mandatory to upload soft copies of certificates in support of date of birth, educational qualifications, reservation category (if applicable), and fellowship examination qualification. Detailed guidelines are given on the website.

Selection: Admission will be based on a two-step selection process. Round 1 will be an online interview via video conference, scheduled to be held from November 7 to 12, 2025. Round II interview will be held in person at CDFD on December 3 and 6, 2025. The list of candidates shortlisted for the first round of interviews will be displayed on the website by November 5, 2025, and that for the second round of interviews by November 13, 2025. The exact dates of the interview for the two rounds will be informed along with the list of candidates shortlisted for the interview. Applicants may check details on the website.

After the second round of interviews, applicants will be encouraged to contact CDFD faculty either in person or through email/phone to familiarise themselves with the research interests of the various faculty.

CDFD’s Research Scholars Program is a fully residential program. The selected candidates will have to stay on campus.

Applicants may contact rsp@cdfd.org.in for any queries.