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Ph.D Program

The PhD program at Plaksha puts emphasis on grand challenges including health, agriculture, water security, clean energy, etc. that cut across several disciplines, and faculty members are actively engaged in research in these disciplines.

Dates to remember

Round 1 Deadline April 2, 2023

Round 2 Deadline May 7, 2023

Round 3 Deadline June 25, 2023

An applicant can apply only once in any of the three rounds of the Admissions cycle 2022-23. There is no difference in applying in either of the rounds. We encourage applicants to apply early so that they receive their decision earlier (positions )

Disclaimer: Plaksha University reserves the right to cancel any of the admission round.

Ph.D Program

Overview
Open PhD Position
PhD Student Journey
Eligibility criteria
Admissions process
Fee, and financial support
Plaksha – DaveAI PhD Fellowship
Meet PhD Scholars

Overview

Plaksha University offers a unique doctoral education program that empowers you for the future by combining domain knowledge, research skills and portable skills, leading to the highest level of academic achievement. The program generally takes around four years to complete and involves in-depth study and research in a specific field of study. The program requires a high level of dedication and commitment, as well as the ability to work independently and conduct original research.

At Plaksha, PhD programs are offered in a wide range of interdisciplinary fields, including biosystems engineering & human health, robotics & deep learning, computer science & AI/ML, environment & clean energy, humanities, language, and linguistics. In a PhD program, you are typically required to complete advanced coursework in your field of study, pass comprehensive evaluation, and conduct original research that culminates in a written dissertation. The dissertation must present original findings or insights that contribute to the body of knowledge in the field.

The PhD program is highly selective and competitive, and admissions requirements often include a degree in a related field, as well as strong academic credentials and research experience. Financial support in form of tuition fee waiver, monthly stipend and support for research internships at national/ international organizations and institutions is provided.

During the PhD program, you are also prepared for careers in academia, research, industry, or government via mentorship by top-notch global faculty.

Open PhD Position

Discipline	Research Area	Projects	Supervisor
Biosystems Engineering & Human Health	Computational Bioengineering	Bio-digital Twins, Algal Photobioreactors, Pulmonary Diseases and their therapy	Dr Saikat Chakraborty
Biosystems Engineering & Human Health	Diagnostics and surveillance technologies for antimicrobial resistance (AMR)	AI-ML-based AMR prediction tool using antimicrobial susceptibility testing data, antimicrobial stewardship solution for poultry farms	Dr Navjot Kaur
Biosystems Engineering & Human Health	Assistive Medical Technology, Tissue Engineering, Drug Delivery Injury Prevention, Engineering Education	Development of polymers for drug delivery, Personalized diabetic wound healing care, Sports Injury Prevention Mechanism, Tissue rehabilitation	Dr Rucha Joshi
Computer Science & AI/ML	Data Privacy, Cyber security Applied AI, Fairness in AI	Data Privacy for smart cities cybersecurity of Financial systems/ IndiaStack, etc.	Dr K Gopinath
Computer Science & AI/ML	Computational Neuroscience and Experimental Neuroscience. Application of ML in Neuroscience and Neuroethology	Integration of multiple sensory inputs in foraging behavior of insects. iophysical modelling. Track animal behavior.	Dr Subhasis Ray
Computer Science & AI/ML	Systems for Building and HVAC Monitoring, Computer Vision for Agriculture, Machine Learning for Health	Digital Twin Modeling of a modern HVAC system, Drone-based analysis of crop diversity in a district, Multimodal Tuberculosis Detection.	Dr Anupam Sobti
Environment & Clean Energy	Sensors - electrochemical and/or optical	Electrochemical sensing for water security and point of care health; Optical sensors for heavy metal detection in water	Dr Chaitanya Lekshmi Indira
Environment & Clean Energy	Fluid mechanics and heat transfer	Urban heat island effect and its mitigation, Human thermal comfort by low energy means, Heat transfer enhancement in turbulent natural convection, Light and sound propagation in turbulent media.	Dr Shashikant Pawar
Environment & Clean Energy	Urban Heat Islands and Smart Homes, High-Performance buildings		Dr Vishal Garg
Humanities, Language & Linguistics	Indian Linguistics, AI for Manuscripts. Indic studies in consciousness research, rasa theory	Linguistic tradition in India and its current relevance, rasa theory and techno philosophy	Dr K Gopinath
Humanities, Language & Linguistics	Humanities, Philosophy of Language, Literature and Communication, STEM Pedagogy	Human Imagination and Creativity, Edtech and Stem education	Dr Brainerd Prince
Robotics & Deep Learning	Medical Surgical Robotics, Intelligent Diagnostics, Medical wearables	Medical Engineering Project topicss: Medical/Surgical Robotics (esp. Biopsy-bots), Integrated intelligent active orthoses (esp. lower limb), Smart Hospital Wards (integrating patient wellbeing with caregivers and hospital staff), Robotic muscles - sensors & actuators (Soft-robotics) for medical applications, Medical wearables - for prevention and on-line feedback, AI based digital twins for personalized treatment. Industrial/Service/Sports Engineering Project Topics:Integrated CPS concept for monitoring and alerting Smart buildings' efficiency, Design and Development of an AgriBot for soil condition sampling, Mechatronics for High Performance Sports.	Dr Sunita Chauhan
Robotics & Deep Learning	Computer Vision; Machine Learning; Internet-of-Things	Image-based precision agriculture; Study of Human-environment interaction	Dr. Srikant Srinivasan
Robotics & Deep Learning	Robotics, Path planning, Multi-robot systems, Applied Machine Learning, Computer Vision and Perception		Dr Sandeep Manjanna
Robotics & Deep Learning	Sensors, Microelectromechanical Systems,Antennas, Medical Devices		Dr Dhiraj Sinha

PhD Student Journey

Year 1

You will start the journey of unique doctoral education program at Plaksha by exploring research interests, gaining foundational knowledge, and developing professional skills that will prepare you for the following years. Doctoral Research Committee (DRC) will be constituted and it will guide and support you throughout your research projects, from the initial stages of developing the research proposal to final defence of the dissertation. You will also need to complete coursework equivalent to 12 credits in the first two semesters. You will in the meantime be also shape your research proposal through literature review and interaction with topic experts.

Year 2

You will typically continue research, and professional development activities from the first year, but you may also start to focus more on the specific research topic and begin to produce original research. You will make significant progress, this may involve conducting experiments, collecting data, analysing results, and writing up findings for publication. Additionally, you can also apply for research internships at National/ International institutes and organizations.

Year 3

At the beginning of Year 3, you will be required to present your research in a pre-synopsis seminar, submit a report and pass a comprehensive exam. This exam typically tests your knowledge of the core concepts and theories in their field. You’re also expected to showcase your original research through publications in academic journals and participation at research conferences.

Year 4

You will be finishing your research experiments and focus on writing the dissertation. Once the dissertation is written, you must defend your work before a committee of faculty members. This typically involves a presentation of the research and a question-and-answer session. Upon successful defence of the thesis, you will be eligible towards your PhD degree.

Eligibility criteria

The candidates with either of the following academics qualifications are eligible to seek admission to the PhD program:

Candidates with a 1-year/2-semester or 2-year/4-semester master’s degree program after 4-year/8-semester bachelor’s degree, or
Candidates with a 2-year/4-semester master’s degree after a 3-year bachelor’s degree programme, or
Candidates with a 4-year/8-semester bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Science, Law, Architecture, Social Science, Humanities, and others with Research, or
Candidates who have completed the M.Phill program
Candidates should have secured at least 55% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade on a point scale wherever the grading system is followed in their last academic qualification.

Standardized Test Scores

In addition to the above academic qualification, candidates who have qualified for scholarship/fellowship in GATE/ UGC-NET/ UGC-CSIR NET/ CEED/ JAM/ GRE and similar National level tests are eligible for admission into the PhD program.
Students who apply using only predicted scores or without qualification in any National Level Test are eligible for a conditional offer of admission.

Candidates who have earned a degree from a foreign educational institution.

Candidates with an equivalent degree from a foreign educational institution accredited by an Assessment and Accreditation Agency which is approved, recognized, or authorized by an authority, established, or incorporated under a law in its home country or any other statutory authority in that country to assess, accredit or assure quality and standards of educational institutions are also eligible to seek admission to the PhD program.

Admission to International Students - International students are also eligible to apply for the PhD program.

Admissions process

Fill out an application form
Appear for one-on-one virtual interaction with prospective supervisors. Tell us about yourself, your interests, and your experiences. We will ask you a few questions to understand your critical and lateral thinking and assess your research interests.
Showcase-day – You’re invited to the campus to learn about the facilities, and student life and visit labs. We will give you a short assignment to assess your research methodology skills and subject knowledge followed by a face-to-face interview.
Receive final admission decision Candidates who pass the admission process but do not have any National Level Test score will be given a conditional offer of admission and may be admitted to the Plaksha Research Fellow (PRF) program.

Application form requirements

Academic Records – Undergraduate and post-graduate (in case of final year, submit provisional certificates)
Standardized Test Scores (where available)
Statement of Purpose – Applicants should write a statement of purpose that describes their research interests and motivation for pursuing a PhD.
Letter of Recommendation – Applicants must provide at least two strong letters of recommendation from their academic supervisors, mentors, or professionals who can attest to their research abilities.
Research experience – prior publications or presentations at academic conferences (optional, we encourage applicants to share these details)
Artefacts of Extracurricular activities, achievements

Fee, and financial support

The fees for the PhD program are due at the beginning of the academic year. Tuition fee waiver and financial support in form of a monthly stipend are provided. The details are as below:

Fee

Admission Fee (one time) ₹ 25,000
Annual Registration Fee (non-refundable) ₹ 5,000
Annual Tuition Fee ₹ 7,00,000

Tuition fee waiver

Candidates admitted under Plaksha Doctoral Fellowship/ Government Fellowship will receive a full tuition fee waiver.

Financial support

In form of monthly stipend of ₹ 60,000 in first & second year & ₹ 70,000 after completion of the second year for subsequent years
Conference/workshop-related allowance (domestic and international) of up to ₹ 2,00,000 during the entire duration of the PhD program
For Research Internship at National/ International institutions or organizations

Plaksha – DaveAI PhD Fellowship

Plaksha University and DaveAI are offering a joint PhD in Artificial Intelligence. Potential research themes include:

Emotional expression in Audiovisual Avatars
Multi-party turn taking in Metaverse interactions
Attention based models for domain specific dialogue management for NPCs in metaverse

The fellowship is open to other research themes in Artificial Intelligence basis candidates preference.

Compensations and benefits include:

Monthly stipend of INR 90,000 in first two years; INR 1,05,000 for the next two years
Full tuition fee waiver
Full coverage of admission fee and yearly enrollment fee
Eligible for a full year of international fellowship to support research
Conference related travel allowance up to INR 2,00,000 every year

Educational and skills requirement for Plaksha - DaveAI PhD Fellowship:

Bachelor’s/master’s in engineering/technology with a strong background in Computer Science (CS), Applied Mathematics or Computational Physics and an aptitude to do good scientific research
Programming skills in any one language is mandatory
Research experience and publications in Artificial Intelligence is a plus

For more information regarding the Plaksha-DaveAI PhD Fellowship, please click here.

You may contact us at phd.academics@plaksha.edu.in

Courses and Curriculum

Domain Specific Courses
Research Skills Courses
Portable skills courses

Domain Specific Courses

Domain-specific courses for PhD students are an important part of the program because they provide students with the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and expertise in a particular area of study. These courses are typically more specialized and advanced than undergraduate or even graduate-level courses, and they are often taught by leading experts in the field. They may also include opportunities for independent research or projects that allow students to apply their knowledge in a practical setting.

Some examples of domain-specific courses for PhD students might include:

Advanced statistical analysis in psychology
Quantum field theory in physics
Computational methods in biology
Advanced topics in algorithm design in computer science
Advanced techniques in data mining and machine learning in computer science

Programs

Ph.D Program