The goal of the Ph.D. program at IIIT-Delhi is to empower students to become part of the global research ecosystem, and contribute to research organizations and top class universities across the world. The program is based on the best practices models at top universities across the world. IIIT-Delhi offers Ph.D. programs in Computational Biology (CB), Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), Electronics and Communications Engineering (ECE), Human-Centered Design (HCD), Mathematics (Maths), and Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH).
"Candidates qualified for UGC/CSIR JRF, DST INSPIRE, DBT Fellowship and fresh B.Tech. graduates with research aptitude are strongly encouraged to apply. GATE score is not mandatory for some departments."
The PhD graduates of IIIT-Delhi hold faculty positions at multiple top-tier universities in India and abroad, such as BITS-Pilani, IISc, IIT-Gandhinagar, IIIT-Allahabad etc. . Many of them also hold research or advanced development positions in industry, such as HFCL etc. . IIIT-Delhi expects to continue the same level of excellence in research that has distinguished it over the past 15 years.
Eligibility Criteria
For discipline wise minimum eligibility criteria, please click here. The concerned Department may use higher cut off levels for shortlisting besides giving due consideration to the way questions are answered in the application form. Candidates belonging to SC/ST/Differently abled categories would be eligible for relaxations, as per norms, in the selection criteria. (Details mentioned in the FAQ point no. 2)
Admission Categories
Regular Ph.D. - Candidates who are not holding regular work/employment and are primarily engaged in their academic program only. Those who are already employed will have to resign and submit the relieving before joining the Programme.
Sponsored Ph.D. - IIIT-Delhi allows highly motivated working professionals to pursue a Ph.D. degree while still employed at the sponsoring organization. Click here for more details.
Financial Support
Students joining the Ph.D. program as regular students will be considered for Institute Fellowship. Presently institute provides attractive compensation w.e.f. 1st January 2025 of Rs. 60,000/- per month (including HRA) and Rs. 1.5 lakh to cover two weeks of international lab visit.
Additional Financial Support
- Support upto Rs 50k is provided towards purchase of laptop/ desktop.
- Contingency grant of 20000 per year.
Institute Travel Grant
Full time Ph.D. students are encouraged to present their research work at International Conferences. Financial support of up to Rs. 2.5L for the entire duration of the program is available.
Admission Procedure
Rolling Admissions - It is meant for candidates who have a clear idea of the area they want to work. The interested candidates are expected to interact with the concerned faculty member(s) in IIIT-Delhi and get their consent for working with him/her. However, such candidates will undergo a full selection process before being admitted to the Ph.D. program. Click here for more details.
Regular Admissions - The regular admission happens in two cylces; once during February - April every year (for Monsoon Session) & other during September-November every year (for Winter Session).
Applications are invited from eligible candidates through an open advertisement. Admission is generally offered on the basis of an interview and/or written test, if necessary. The Institute will invite a limited number of candidates for a written test and interview based on the academic records, statement of purpose, etc. The final selection will be mainly based on academic credentials, written test and/or interview. The candidates who do not qualify in the written test need not appear for interview. The reserved category candidates will be given due relaxation in cutoff marks as per the norms.
The outstation candidates (non-NCR) who are shortlisted to appear for the written test/ interview, will be reimbursed their travel fare by second sleeper or public bus fare by the shortest route, whichever is cheapest. They will have to furnish the proof of travel. If a candidate decides to choose a different mode (e.g. 3AC, air, etc.), they will be only reimbursed the second sleeper or public transport bus fare by the shortest route.
Application Procedure
- Candidates can apply only through the online application portal. There is no provision for offline submission of application forms.
- If you are applying for more than one discipline, please submit a separate application for each discipline.
- After successful submission of the application form, you will receive an application number and a link to download the application form. Please save the application form. You need to furnish hardcopy of the application form and self-attested copies of all the relevant documents at the time of interview.
- Incomplete applications will be rejected.
- The application fee for Ph.D. program is as follow:
Rs.150/- : For SC/ST/DA candidates
Rs.300/- : For other candidates
Note:
The Institute reserves the right to call or not to call eligible candidates for the admission process.
Institute reserves the right to make changes in the admission procedure including schedule of test/interview. The changes made, if any, will be notified on the website.
Important Dates
| Start Date of Online Application | 12.03.2026 (Thursday) |
| Last Date of Application Submission | 08.04.2026 (Wednesday) |
| Announcement of Shortlisted Candidates | 14.04.2026 (Tuesday) |
| Announcement of Shortlisted Candidates for the interview at IIITD | 17th April 2026-10th May 2026 |
| Announcement of Results | 20.05.2026 (Wednesday, 5 PM) |
Research Areas
Computational Biology
| Department | |
|---|---|
| CB | Computational Gastronomy, Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning |
| CB | Drug Discovery in Aging Research |
| CB | Structural biology, Drug Discovery using AI |
| CB | Computational diagnostics and therapeutics development |
| CB | Phytochemicals and microbiome analysis |
| CB | Experimental cancer nanotheranostics |
Computer Science and Engineering
| Department | |
|---|---|
| CSE | Quantum Algorithms |
| CSE | Graph Theory, Algorithms |
| CSE | AI for Data |
| CSE | Graphics and 3D vision |
| CSE | Programming languages/ OS |
| CSE | Algorithms |
| CSE | Systems for AI, Computer Networks |
| CSE | AI Applications |
| CSE | Theoretical Deep Learning, Generative Speech AI |
| CSE | Applications of DL and Agentic AI to build solutions |
| CSE | Computational Complexity Theory |
Electronics and Communications Engineering
| Department | |
|---|---|
| ECE | Nanophotonics and Metamaterials (Computation and Experiment) |
| ECE | Wireless communication & Sensing; Wireless systems implementation (RF frontend, FPGA, SDR, GPUs) |
| ECE | Computational Nanoelectronics & Spintronics |
| ECE | FPGA and System on Chip |
| ECE | Machine Learning, Quantum Computing |
| ECE | RF and Antenna Design |
| ECE | DL and Agentic AI for building solutions |
| ECE | Optimization, learning and Control |
| ECE | Hardware Security, System on Chip |
| ECE | Electronic Design Automation |
| ECE | Optical wireless communication, Non-terrestial networks |
| ECE | Neuromorphic computing, spintronic and electronic devices (Experiments and Simulation) |
Mathematics
| Department | |
|---|---|
| Mathematics | Discretizations of Partial Diiferential Equations |
| Mathematics | Discretizations of Differential Geometry |
| Mathematics | Bayesian Persuasion |
| Mathematics | Algebra |
| Mathematics | Number Theory |
| Mathematics | Numerical Partial Differential Equations |
| Mathematics | Discrete Mathematics |
| Mathematics | Differential Geometry |
| Mathematics | Algebraic Topology |
| Mathematics | Functional Analysis |
| Mathematics | Complex Analysis |
| Mathematics | Functional Analysis /Operator Theory |
Social Sciences and Humanities (Philosophy, Communication, Governance and Politics)
| Department | |
|---|---|
| SSH | Bayesian Persuasion, Game Theory |
| SSH | Social Aspects of Digital Health (Digital Media Studies) |
| SSH | Agricultural and natural resource economics; Applied econometrics; Applied microeconomics; Spatial Data Science |
| SSH | Sociology of Gender, Violence, Friendship, Collective Memory, Ethnicity, Northeast India |
Human-Centered Design
| Department | |
|---|---|
| HCD | HCI (TUI, GenAI, XR) |
| HCD | Bioinspired Design, Design Creativity, Design Methods and Tools, Natural Language Processing, LLM applications |
Syllabus
| Department | Document |
|---|---|
| CSE | Click Here |
| ECE | Click Here |
Last updated: 12-03-2026

