PhD Programme

The PhD program in Mathematics at TIFR CAM is a five-year program designed for students who have completed a Master’s degree in Mathematics (or equivalent). The program will have intensive coursework in the first year, followed by cutting-edge research under the supervision of a faculty member at CAM. You can learn more about our research by visiting https://www.math.tifrbng.res.in/research and exploring individual faculty pages at https://www.math.tifrbng.res.in/people/faculty.

The Integrated PhD programme comprises of three stages

Year 1: The student undergoes rigorous training in advanced Master’s/PhD level mathematics with a strong emphasis on Analysis, Probability, and theoretical and numerical study of PDEs. A total of 8 courses, each worth five credits, are offered in the first year of the program. The details of the syllabus can be found here.

In the first semester, they will take a mandatory course on Advanced Real Analysis and choose three other electives from Introductory PDE, Probability Theory, Complex Analysis, and Advanced Functional Analysis. In the second semester, the student will do a reading course with a faculty member and will take three other courses from those offered as electives in the Integrated PhD program.

Year 2: The student completes a year-long Pre-PhD Research in Mathematics course, which is worth 20 credits. This is typically conducted under the guidance of a faculty member, who is expected to be the student's PhD advisor. By the end of the second year, the student is required to write a research report, also worth 20 credits. Additionally, the student must take the following courses:

• Research Methodology (4 credits)
• Research and Publication Ethics (2 credits)

By the end of the second year, the student must pass the Candidacy Examination to register for a PhD.

Candidacy Examination and Registration for PhD

The eligibility requirements to appear for a candidacy exam are:

• Having a potential PhD advisor,
• Completion of 86 credits, including Research Methodology and Publication Ethics

The candidacy examination consists of a research presentation followed by a question/answer session before the Candidacy Examination Committee. The research presentation typically consists of background research material as well as potential research problems the student plans to pursue as part of their PhD work.

After passing the Candidacy Examination, the student can register for a PhD by applying to the Subject Board within 6 months. The application should contain the name of the proposed thesis adviser and a broad description of the topic of research intended to be pursued, and endorsed by the proposed thesis adviser. At the time of registration for PhD, a Thesis Monitoring Committee will be constituted.

The student is responsible for choosing a research topic and finding an advisor who matches their aptitude and interests. There is no formal procedure for drawing up research programs and assignments to advisers. The student is expected to develop a serious interest in a broad area of specialization by the end of their second year, and they are welcome to consult any faculty member at the Centre for suggestions. Any regular academic member of the School of Mathematics is eligible to be a student’s thesis adviser.

For more information, please visit https://www.tifr.res.in/academics/academic_procedures.php

Years 3, 4, and 5:  PhD work under the supervision of a faculty member.

Submission of PhD Synopsis and PhD Thesis

After the student completes their PhD research project(s), with the permission of the thesis adviser, the student forwards a synopsis of the thesis to the Subject Board, to obtain approval for submission of the synopsis to the TIFR Mumbai Graduate Studies Office. The same procedure will once again be followed to obtain approval for submission of their thesis. Once the Subject Board approves the submission of a synopsis/thesis, the rest of the process of submission and evaluation of the synopsis and thesis will be as per the guidelines prescribed by the Academic Council of TIFR.

For more information, please visit https://www.tifr.res.in/academics/academic_procedures.php

Fellowship

For more information, please visit https://www.tifr.res.in/academics/scholarship.php