DBT-TERI School of Advanced Studies (TERI SAS) provides an opportunity to Ph.D. students to nurture their independent, analytical and critical thinking. It offers a conducive environment to achieve academic excellence and meet the highest global standards.

The Ph.D. programme offered by DBT-TERI SAS draws its strength from the expertise and areas of interests of its faculty members and its adjunct faculty from TERI, its parent organisation.

The operational aspects of the Ph.D. programme are governed and guided by the provisions laid down in the "TERI School of Advanced Studies Ph.D. Regulations-2019 (and its subsequent amendments)".

At the end of Ph.D. programme, the students should be able to:
• Have an in-depth understanding of the nuances of the problem being researched and the literature surrounding it
• Explore frontiers of fundamental, applied and interdisciplinary research as decided by the chosen field of study
• Understand and apply scientific methods, tools and techniques to carry out high quality research work
• Independently plan and execute original research with high ethical standards
• Develop suitable communication and interpersonal skills, critical thinking and problem-solving attitude as appropriate for a Ph.D. student

• Structural and Molecular Biology (Principal Investigator: Chaithanya Madhurantakam, Seats available - 2)

Expectations: Selected applicants will be involved in structural and molecular studies on pathogenic proteins of Helicobacter pylori and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Enough expertise in handling basic rDNA and biochemical techniques, capable of using LINUX/UNIX operating systems for computational purposes. Knowledge of macromolecular crystallography is desirable.

• Nanosciences and NanoBiotechnology (Principal Investigator: Udit Soni, Seats available - 2)

Expectations: Published paper(s) in reputed journal and having experience in Nano-materials for Biotechnology or environmental applications.

• Brassica Developmental Biology and Crop Improvement (Dr Anandita Singh, Seats available - 2)

Expectations: Selected applicants will contribute in characterizing regulatory genes governing adaptive developmental traits in highly polyploid Brassica genomes with an applied research goal of trait manipulation. Expertise in basic rDNA techniques is desirable. • Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (PI: Dr. Pallavi Somvanshi, Seats available - 2)

Expectations: Published paper(s) in reputed journal.

• Plant Molecular Breeding (Principal Investigator: Shashi Bhushan Tripathi, Seats available - 1)

Expectations: Selected applicants will be involved in QTL mapping of important agronomic traits in Capsicum. Expertise in basic rDNA techniques is desirable.

•Microbial pathogenesis and genetics (Dr. Ramakrishnan Sitaraman, Seats available - 2)

Expectations: Fellowship award, microbiology-related research experience, familiarity with computational approaches and applications, publication(s) in a peer-reviewed, indexed journal.

Admission will be made based on written tests and interview. A weightage 70% to the written tests and 30% to the performance in interviews shall be given. Written test will have two papers of equal weightage. Paper I will be on ‘Research Methodology’ which will be a common paper for admission in all departments of the University. Paper II will be department/subject specific

Syllabus for Research Methodology

Syllabus for Paper II

Protein Biochemistry and Structural Biology :

Biological macromolecules (Proteins, Carbohydrates, Lipids, Hormones and Vitamins), Acids and Bases, Classification of proteins, Enzymes and kinetic parameters, Immunoglobulins, X-ray crystallography, Electron Microscopy and NMR techniques, Metabolic pathways and Bioenergetics (Gibb’s free energy, Enthalpy and Entropy, First and second laws of thermodynamics and limitations).

Plant Science :

Plant Physiology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry.

Bioinformatics :

Introduction to Bioinformatics and its Application, Molecular Biology for bioinformatics, Biological data bases and its Annotation, sequencing techniques, Pairwise and multiple sequence alignment algorithm, Phylogenetic Analysis, homology modelling, molecular modelling.

Microbiology & molecular biology :

General microbiology, germ theory of disease, pathogens and disease, laws of genetics, Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, central dogma, sequence hypothesis, nucleic acid structure and function.

Ecology and evolution :

Concepts of evolutionary biology (organisms and molecules), spontaneous generation, convergent and divergent evolution, principles of ecology, ecological niches and community ecology, symbiosis.

Nanosciences :

Atomic structure, chemical bonding, gaseous state, solid state chemistry, solutions, nanomaterials, stereochemistry, analytical techniques.

For queries

Contact Ms. Vidhya Sharma (vidhya.sharma@terisas.ac.in) for any query related to PhD admission in Department of Biotechnology.