Applications are invited for admission to Ph.D. Program (Semester 2, 2026-2027)
in the interdisciplinary areas of Life Sciences
(Last updated on 16 October 2026)
- Advertisement (Last updated on 16 October 2026)
- Projects (Last updated on 16 October 2026)
- Syllabus for the Entrance Exam (Last updated on 16 October 2026)
IBAB is an autonomous Institution set up by the Department of Electronics, IT, BT and S&T of the Government of Karnataka in 2001. Over the last 25 years, the Institute has grown into a world-class institution offering educational programs in Bioinformatics, Biotechnology and Big Data Biology. IBAB has established excellent facilities in both computational and experimental Life Sciences and houses state-of-the-art computing infrastructure including
Graphical Processing Units (GPU) servers, high-end workstations and high-capacity network and storage facilities besides well-equipped state-of-the-art bioscience laboratories for experimental work. The Institute has well qualified faculty with international experience and offers Ph.D. programs in frontier areas of interdisciplinary Life Sciences.
Research Areas
- Disease Genomics and Pharmacogenomics
- Multiomic integration (Cancer, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Stroke, Malaria, metabolic disorders, ageing, spermatogenesis) for biomarker discovery
- Single Cell-Sequencing and Spatial Transcriptomics
- Synthetic and Systems Biology
- Photoprotection mechanisms in biomolecules and Quantum Biology
- Graph Algorithms and Information Theory for Modelling Biological States using
- AI/ML
Eligibility
Master’s degree (2 years) in any branch of Life Sciences/ Biotechnology/Bioengineering/ Bioinformatics/ Computational Biology/ Computer Science and Engineering / Pharmacy /Medicine /Physics/Chemistry with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent, OR
B.Tech./ B.E or equivalent (4 years) in any branch of Science/Technology with 75% marks or equivalent
Selection Procedure
All the applications received will be screened and only the shortlisted candidates will be called for the in-person written test to be conducted on campus.
The entrance exam will be conducted at IBAB campus in Bengaluru on 3 December, 2026 (forenoon). Results of the entrance exam will be announced on the same day, followed by in- person interviews of the shortlisted candidates on 3-4 December, 2026. The candidates are requested to make their travel plan accordingly.
Please visit the webpage of IBAB for details regarding the faculty research areas and the PhD projects being floated for the current round of selections
The outstation candidates (non-Bengaluru) who are shortlisted to appear for the in-person written test/interview at the IBAB campus, will be reimbursed their travel fare by Train-Sleeper Class (SL) 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 only be reimbursed the Train-Sleeper Class or Public Transport Bus fare by the
shortest route.
Stipend / Fellowship
IBAB strongly encourages students with their own fellowships (CSIR-UGC, DST-INSPIRE, DBT-JRF and ICMR-JRF) to apply to the Ph.D. program
Exceptional candidates without a fellowship or a valid GATE score shall be provided with a competitive assistantship by the Institute
Application Procedure
Candidates who satisfy the eligibility criteria must submit the application online along with the application fee of Rs. 800/- via NEFT.
Link for the application: will be shared on October 19, 2026
Important Dates
| Application Start Date | October 19, 2026 |
| Deadline for Submission of Application Form | November 16, 2026 |
| Shortlisted candidates (Written Test) | November 20, 2026 |
| Date of Examination (Shortlisted candidates only) | December 3, 2026 |
| Date of Interview | December 3 and 4, 2026 |
| Commencement of the Ph.D. program | January 1, 2027 |
Contact