BIOLOGY AT DBS Mumbai, NCBS Bangalore, and inStem Bangalore
Programs on offer: PhD/Int-MSc-PhD/MSc-by-Research/ MSc Wildlife Biology & Conservation
Please check institution websites for additional information and updates:
www.tifr.res.in/~dbs www.ncbs.res.in
https://www.ncbs.res.in/mscprogram/
www. instem.res.in
The Department of Biological Sciences Mumbai (DBS) and the National Centre for Biological Sciences Bangalore
(NCBS) are both part of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), and are funded by the Department of
Atomic Energy. The Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine Bangalore (inStem) is funded by
the Department of Biotechnology and maintains strong collaborative ties with NCBS.
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
NCBS and DBS offer PhD and Integrated-MSc-PhD programs leading to the award of a PhD degree, as well as
MSc-by-Research programs leading to the award of an MSc degree. NCBS also offers an MSc in Wildlife Biology
& Conservation. inStem offers a PhD program leading to the award of a PhD degree. The PhD program accepts
candidates with a Masters in any basic science discipline or a Bachelors degree in any applied science such as
medicine and engineering. The Integrated PhD program and MSc-by-Research program seek students with an
excellent academic record at the BSc level. Students register for a degree at the TIFR Deemed University (at NCBS
and DBS) or Manipal University (at inStem), after meeting prescribed coursework and examination requirments.
The MSc in Wildlife Biology & Conservation program is offered only at NCBS. The maximum duration of these
programs is 5 years for a PhD, 6 years for the Integrated-MSc-PhD, 3 years for the MSc-by-Research, and 2 years
for the MSc in Wildlife Biology and Conservation.
FACILITIES
Students selected into these academic programs are provided housing and fellowships. The programs provide wide
exposure, through research guidance, through coursework and hands-on training, and through participation in
meetings and workshops. Our campuses offer state-of-the art experimental and computational facilities for all
aspects of modern biology research.
THE SELECTION PROCESS
Except for the MSc in Wildlife Biology and Conservation, applications to all other programs are via the Joint
Graduate Entrance Exam in Biology and Interdisciplinary Life Sciences (JGEEBILS) held in December each year.
This multiple choice test covers basic abilities in mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology. The JGEEBILS is
jointly conducted by multiple partner institutions and coordinated by TIFR (www.ncbs.res.in/JGEEBILS). Each
partner institution has independent admissions procedures following the JGEEBILS exam, please refer to individual
institutional websites for these procedures. Applicants must apply separately to each partner institution. DBS invites
candidates for interviews based on performance in the exam. NCBS and inStem jointly invite candidates for
interviews based on performance in the exam, and on a completed application package including a research statement
and letters of recommendation. Interviews are held in Mumbai in Feb/Mar 2016 and in Bangalore in May/June 2016.
MSc in Wildlife Biology & Conservation
The entrance test consists of multiple-choice questions that assess skills in English language, general knowledge,
logic, mathematics and statistics, basic ecology and conservation biology, and general knowledge about wildlife and
conservation issues. There is also an essay question on a conservation issue. Essays are only evaluated for candidates
who meet the minimum requirements in the multiple-choice sections.
The M.Sc Wildlife Biology and Conservation course has a separate interview, which will be held in June 2016 at the
NCBS campus. Details of the interview procedure will be provided to candidates who are shortlisted from the
entrance exam.
RESEARCH GROUPS AT DBS
Gotam Jarori
Sandhya Koushika
Roop Mallik
Mithilesh Mishra
Sreelaja Nair
Maithreyi Narasimha
B.J. Rao
Krishanu Ray
Ullas Kolthur Seetharam
Shobhona Sharma
Himanshu Sinha
Mahendra Sonawane
Shubha Tole
Vidita Vaidya
Structure-activity relationship (SAR) in proteins
Cargo transport in neurons
Biophysics of molecular motors and motor complexes
Mechanism and regulation of cytokinesis
Genetics of maternal control of vertebrate development
Cell adhesion, epithelial morphogenesis and cellular reorganization
Molecular basis of genome dynamics
Cell biology of motor proteins in Drosophila
Sirtuins:linking metabolism to aging and cancer
Biology of the malarial parasite
Functional genomics and quantitative traits in yeast
Cellular adhesion in developing zebrafish epidermis
Genetics mechanisms and signaling pathways in developing brain
Neurobiology of stress and depression
RESEARCH GROUPS AT NCBS
Deepa Agashe
Evolutionary ecology of adaptation and genome evolution
Upinder Bhalla
Memory, smell and networks
Axel Brockmann
Comparative neurobiology of honey bee behaviour
Sumantra Chattarji
Synaptic plasticity in the amygdala
Ranbir Das
NMR spectroscopic studies of ubiquitin
Shachi Gosavi
Computational folding and functional dynamics of proteins
Hiyaa Ghosh
Neuronal and glial cells in the mouse brain
Gaiti Hasan
IP3 signaling in cellular and systemic physiology
Sandeep Krishna
Decisions and feedback in biological systems
Sudhir Krishna
Notch signalling in human epithelial cancers and leukemias
Krushnamegh Kunte
Evolution and organization of of biological diversity
M.K. Mathew
Crossing Barriers: Studies of Membrane Transport
Satyajit Mayor
Mechanisms of membrane organization and traffic
Shannon Olsson
Naturalist-inspired chemical ecology
Raghu Padinjat
The architecture of phosphoinositide signalling in vivo
M.M. Panicker
The roles of serotonin in neural and non-neural systems
Uma Ramakrishnan
The genetic heritage of South Asia: history, conservation, and its future
Arati Ramesh
RNA-mediated mechanisms of bacterial stress response
Sanjay Sane
Neural and physical basis of insect flight
Mahesh Sankaran
Community and ecosystems ecology
Apurva Sarin
Mechanisms of apoptosis in metazoan cells
Aswin Seshasayee
Computational and functional genomics of bacterial gene regulation
P. Shivaprasad
Plant epigenetics
R. Sowdhamini
Computational approaches to protein science
Varadha Sundaramurthy
Host-pathogen interactions
Mukund Thattai
Computational and evolutionary cell biology
Vatsala Thirumalai
Neural control of movement in Zebrafish development
Shashi Thutupalli
Experimental physics of collective dynamics
Jayant Udgaonkar
How do proteins fold, unfold and misfold?
K. VijayRaghavan
Developmental neurobiology of olfaction and movement
RESEARCH GROUPS AT INSTEM
Shravanti Deshpande
Arjun Guha
Akash Gulyani
Colin Jamora
Sunil Laxman
John Mercer
Ravi Muddashetty
Tina Mukherjee
Dasaradhi Palakodeti
Archana Purushotham
Srikala Raghavan
S. Ramaswamy
Ramkumar Sambasivan
Minhajuddin Sirajuddin
Praveen Kumar Vemula
Homeostasis, epigenetics and cell fate determination
Plasticity of airway epithelial cells in the mammalian respiratory tract
Probing cellular dynamics by imaging
Mechanisms regulating the wound healing response
Nutrient sensing and metabolic regulation of cell fates
Cardiomyopathies
Protein synthesis and disorders of neuronal development and plasticity
Metabolism and systemic control of stem cell development
Stem cells and regeneration in Planaria
Neuroimaging and clinical neuroscience
Integrin signaling micro-RNA in epithelial stem cells
Protein biochemistry and structural biology
Vertebrate development and evolution using mouse as a model system
Structure and function of cytoskeletal assemblies
Self-assembled biomaterials and translational research