Taking the notch higher year after year, as many as 16 PhD scholars of the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) have been awarded the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) in the May 2022 cycle. The Institute now has a total of 47 PMRF scheme fellows.

Launched in the year 2018-19, the PMRF scheme is one of the most prestigious research fellowships in the country. PMRF candidates are selected through a rigorous selection process at the national level. Besides the mandatory GATE and degree requirements with a minimum CGPA of 8 or equivalent, the candidates are judged on the metrics of research exposure, publications, performance in international competitions (like Math Olympiad, ACM ICPC Programming Contest), grades, and recommendation letters. The selection also demands a strong research proposal, and due weightage is given to publications in reputed journals/conferences as well.

The Ph.D. scholars who have bagged the fellowship this year include:

1.      Abishek Sarkar, Mechanical Engineering

2.      Ankur Vinay Singh, Biological Engineering

3.      Anshul Awasthi, Electrical Engineering

4.      Aparna Rathi, Physics

5.      Barat S, Mechanical Engineering

6.      Dipesh Singh Chuphal, Civil Engineering

7.      Gaurav Rai, Chemistry

8.      Hema Naveena A, Biological Engineering

9.      Himanshu Beniwal, Computer Science and Engineering

10.  Indrani Zamindar, Mathematics

11.  Niyati Shah, Physics

12.  Poonam Rani, Mathematics

13.  Rajnandan Borthakur, Mechanical Engineering

14.  Saikat Kumar Misra, Earth Sciences

15.  Shivani Sharma,  Civil Engineering

16.  Shrutimoy Das, Computer Science and Engineering

They are working in various areas of interdisciplinary research and development at IITGN.

Lauding this noteworthy achievement of IITGN PhD scholars, Prof Rajat Moona, Director, IITGN, said, “We feel great and proud that our PhD scholars’ work is progressively being recognised and supported at the national level. The Institute places great emphasis on top-quality research and offers the best possible learning environment and research experience with state-of-the-art research facilities, flexibility and independence, and numerous opportunities for global exposure so that our PhD scholars can reach their full potential. The focus on cutting-edge interdisciplinary research at IITGN provides an excellent opportunity to work with some of the best faculty from other disciplines to widen the research perspective and application. I am sure they will bring more laurels for the Institute through their research and innovations.”