NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF

SCIENCE EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

An autonomous institution of Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India

INFORMATION BROCHURE
 Professor T. K. Chandrashekar, Director

School of Biological Sciences

Dr. Palok Aich, Chairperson

Dr. Abdur Rahaman Dr. Kishore CS Panigrahi Dr. Rajendra K Behera

Dr. Anita Roy Dr. Manjusha Dixit Dr. Rona Banerjee
Dr. Chandan Goswami Dr. Pankaj V Alone Dr. S Chattopadhyay
Dr. Debasmita P Alone Prof. Rabindranath Nayak Prof. Trailokya Nath Naik
Dr. Harapriya Mahapatra

School of Chemical Sciences

Dr. A Srinivasan, Chairperson

Dr. Subramanian Arunachalam Dr. Moloy Sarkar Prof. R K Mohanty

Prof. Chandra Sekhar Panda Dr. Nagendra K Sharma Dr. Sanjib Kar
Dr. Chandra Sekhar Purohit Dr. Pradeep K Chaudhury Dr. Sudip Barman
Prof. Mahendra K Mahanti Dr. Prasenjit Mal Dr. U Lourderaj

School of Mathematical Sciences

Dr. Varadharajan Muruganandam, Chairperson

Dr. Ashis Mandal Dr. Kamal Lochan Patra Prof. P C Das

Dr. Binod K Sahoo Prof. Narahari Parhi Dr. Sanjay Parui
Dr. Deepak K Dalai

School of Physical Sciences

Prof. Ahmed Ansari, Chairperson

Dr. A V Anil Kumar Dr. Pratap K Sahoo Dr. Subhasis Basak

Dr. Joydeep Bhattacharjee Dr. Sanjay K Swain Prof. Suresh G Mishra
Prof. Minaketan Parida Prof. Shashikant C Phatak Dr. Tania Moulik
Dr. Prasanjit Samal

Humanities

Dr. Debashis Pattanaik Dr. N K Mahalik Dr. U N Dash

Prof. Manmatha Kundu
National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) was set up by the Department of
Atomic Energy (DAE), Government of India at Bhubaneswar, Orissa in 2007. The mandate of
NISER is to impart high quality science education in a vibrant academic ambience and to
conduct cutting edge research in all branches of science. At present NISER is functioning from
the campus of Institute of Physics, a premier research Institute of India situated in Bhubaneswar.
Very soon, it will move to its campus situated at about 20 kilometers from Bhubaneswar and
about 5 kilometers from Khurda Road station on Kolkata-Chennai rail route.
NISER is envisaged to be a unique institution of its kind in India. It has been the first institute set
up by DAE for training world class scientists for conducting research in Indian laboratories as
well as for producing teachers who will generate future scientific man power. It strives to be
recognised as a premier center of excellence in science education and research. At present,
NISER has established schools in four basic sciences, namely biology, chemistry, mathematics
and physics. At a later stage, activities in other branches of science, such as earth and planetary
sciences, computer science and engineering sciences will be started. The main aim of NISER is to
train and nurture motivated world class researchers who will take up challenging research and
teaching assignments in universities, research laboratories and industry. Besides training students
at masters and PhD levels, NISER intends to carry out cutting edge research in all branches of
science.
The academic programme at NISER has been designed to provide a strong science foundation
to students, through core courses, before they embark at the threshold of research in the field of
their choice. It will ensure that every student is introduced to excitements in the frontiers of
knowledge in all branches of basic sciences. NISER recognizes that modern scientific research is
carried out in a domain without any boundaries. The undergraduate students and research
scholars are expected to flourish in the ambiance of this scientific culture. In this perspective, it is
expected that faculty members from different schools would try to establish centers of research
in inter-disciplinary areas, in addition to their core competencies, while discharging their
teaching duties of core courses of the respective schools.
NISER will have a faculty strength of approximately 250 (including those for Humanities). The
faculty is expected to nurture the students with close interaction. The process for hiring regular
faculty has started. Presently there are about 30 permanent faculty and about 20 fixed-term
faculty on contract for 2-5 years. The faculty in different schools of NISER is selected after
rigorous procedure. Besides teaching, the faculty is expected to spend substantial amount of
their time in pursuing research in their field of interest. Visits by the faculty to other research
institutes and their active participation in conferences, workshops and symposia is strongly
encouraged. In addition to the permanent and long-term visiting faculty members, NISER invites
renowned scientists from other institutions for a period of a semester or more for participating in
research and teaching activities.
NISER has an active seminar and colloquium programme. Every week, a well-established scientist
from within the country and abroad is invited to deliver a colloquium on the subject of his
interest and interact with students and faculty. Such talks are expected to expose the students to
current research interests in world and motivate them to take up such problems for their
research. Further, each school has a seminar programme in which visitors, faculty members and
students give technical talks in areas of their interest.
At present, NISER conducts two student programmes, the integrated MSc programme and the
PhD programme. NISER is planning to start the integrated PhD programme where students will
be selected after their BSc degree. There are short term programmes, like summer and winter
schools, for faculty and advanced students. Besides these, NISER organises workshops, symposia
and conferences focusing on specific subjects. Scientists from all over the world participate in
these activities.
Integrated MSc Programme
The activities at NISER started with commencement of integrated MSc programme. Students for
this programme are selected after they complete their 12th standard examination from any of
the recognized boards in India. An entrance examination (NEST) is conducted every year for
selecting the students. The details of NEST examination are available on NISER web site
(http://nest.niser.ac.in).
The integrated MSc programme is a five year programme. In the first year students get an
overview of all four science subjects. After completion of two terms they are allotted to one of
the four schools (biology, chemistry, mathematics or physics) depending on their liking and
performance during the first year. After first year, most of the courses they take are in their
school. However, they are required to take at least one course every semester outside their
school. Besides these, they take one humanities course every semester. This is intended to make
them rounded scientists with some understanding of what is going on in other branches of
science. During the last two years the students do theoretical or experimental project work as a
part of their course work.
The students at NISER get INSPIRE fellowship of Department of Science and Technology (DST),
Government of India, provided they maintain minimum level of grades. This fellowship includes
a scholarship of Rs. 5,000/- per month and a support for doing project work at different
laboratories and universities during the summer.
PhD Programme
The PhD programme in NISER has started from January 2010. The students are selected from
among those who have qualified in national qualifying examinations such as NET, GATE, and
JEST. The candidates then appear for an interview (and a written test in case of physics students)
before they are selected. They undergo a one-year course work, in which they have to maintain
grade points of seven or above and a comprehensive written and oral examination. Only after
passing the comprehensive examination they are admitted for doing PhD.
Because of the privileged relation of NISER with DAE, NISER students have an advantage over
others in getting jobs in DAE research institutions. For example, integrated MSc students of
NISER, maintaining certain minimum grades will be able to appear for an interview for the
training schools of DAE, without appearing in a written exam. Similarly, PhD students will be
able to appear for K. S. Krishnan fellowship after their PhD. Besides these possibilities in DAE
institutions, the students have good prospects of getting positions in different research
laboratories, universities and industry.
NISER has sought affiliation with Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), a deemed University
within Department of Atomic Energy for awarding MSc and PhD degrees. In the long run,
however, NISER is expected to get its own status as Deemed University or it may get
autonomous status like Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER's) under an act
of Parliament.
Other Amenities
The students of NISER are accommodated in hostels which are situated at a distance of about
two kilometers from Institute of Physics campus, from where NISER operates. Staying in hostel is
compulsory for both MSc and PhD students. A NISER bus shuttles between hostels and Institute
of Physics campus on a periodic basis. The hostels have a mess, some games facilities,
rudimentary internet facility and a TV room. When NISER moves to its own campus, faculty and
students will be staying on campus.
NISER has a very good library containing a large number of text and reference books. It is open
from 8 am to 9:30 pm. The teaching laboratories at NISER are modern and students are
encouraged to explore during their experimental classes. NISER has state-of-art computer center
with excellent internet connection. The whole campus is connected by Ethernet cable as well as
Wi-Fi enabled.

School of Biological Sciences

At a glance
 The School of Biological Sciences, a start up establishment
of National Institute of Science Education and Research in
Bhubaneswar (Orissa, India), aims to developing
programs in research and teaching with harmonious
synthesis of classical and modern biology.
 Teaching curriculum of the school spans from basic
molecules and processes of life to understanding intricate
design and interactions of elements of life with hands on
training of various classical and modern methodologies.
 Research curriculum with state-of-the art facilities attempts
to understand how knowledge acquired through
teaching can lead to understanding how life shapes up
and propagates.
 We offer a 5-year integrated MSc course to the NEST
qualified students after +2 with the goal to produce world standard resources for future
need of the country in academics and industry.
 NISER also offers PhD program to the students who want to take their career further in
science.
Vision
The School of Biological Sciences aims to establish itself as a leading international centre for
research and teaching with harmonious synthesis of classical and modern biology.
Mission
 To become a centre of excellence in education and research in biological sciences
providing training at undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and post-doctoral level.
 To provide effective interdisciplinary learning ambience through extensive subject
coverage in all fields of modern biology and inter-phasing with other scientific disciplines.
 To equip and nurture students to keep pace with recent developments in the field of
 scientific research.
 To undertake high quality research activities in defined areas of biosciences so as to make
an impact at national and international level.
 To impart professional training for skilled human resource development across the state
and country through short term training courses.
 To develop state of the art infrastructure comparable to best anywhere in the world.
School of Biological Sciences
Biology, which begins with the study of life and living
organisms to understand their structure, function,
growth, origin, evolution, distribution and taxonomy,
has evolved to understand the properties of molecules
of life (nucleic acids, proteins etc.). The subject of
biology has even expanded to the extent that it not
only tries to understand the molecules of life and their
properties but also the interactions and networking
among various molecules of life. By understanding the
networking and the mechanisms underlying complex
biological processes as integrated systems of many
interacting components it is possible to understand laws governing intricate biological systems
as well as to predict the systems properties. This power enables us to explore previously
unreachable corners of life as well as leading to develop intervention which was not otherwise
possible earlier.
In order to keep with the pace of progress in modern biology without compromising with the
contribution of classical biology, School of Biological Sciences at NISER has designed its teaching
courses in such a way that it could accommodate both aspects and train young minds in a way
which would be unique as well as highly competent so that our students will be on high
demand by the employers. Research goals of our schools are also in commensurate with such
objectives. Complying with our goals we have started with a group of highly trained and very
aspirant scientists and the search is ongoing to expand in the right direction on that note.
Ours is a dynamic and vibrant school with basic questions in mind to explore and pave the path
for future biologists to carry forward the torch.

School of Chemical Sciences

The School of Chemical Sciences was established in
2007. Since its inception, the department has been
engaged in imparting the highest level and quality of
academic education and has focussed upon
addressing key scientific problems.
The School of Chemical Sciences constitutes a 15
member faculty expertise in frontier areas of research.
The main areas of research in the school include
synthetic organic chemistry, quantum chemistry,
inorganic materials, coordination chemistry, analytical
chemistry, bio-inorganic chemistry, bio-organic chemistry, organometallic chemistry,
photochemistry, chemistry of heterocyclics, carbohydrates, peptides, nucleic acids, combinatorial
chemistry, nanomaterial, supramolecular chemistry, molecular resonance, molecular reaction
dynamics and spectroscopy. The entire faculty have the exposure and scopes to carry out
independent research contributing towards the enhancement of academic and industrial
interactions.

The main objectives of the School of Chemical Sciences are:

 To provide a strong foundation to students in fundamentals of chemistry through
courses offered by the department in the institute.
 To provide broad based post-graduate programmes in chemistry with the aim of
producing chemists with high professional competence and with awareness on the
importance of chemistry in the technological world.
 To carry out research in cutting-edge areas, both of basic and applied nature, on par
with international standards and thereby educate and train M.Sc. and Ph.D. students to
become world class scientists.
 To develop state-of-the-art research facilities that would enable modern approach and
solutions to a variety of problems in chemistry and chemical industry, collaborative
projects with other science departments and close liaison with industrial undertakings.
The school imparts education towards the award of integrated M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees.
Currently, there are 30 M.Sc students and 5 Ph.D. students. The integrated M.Sc syllabus
provides a unified approach towards chemical sciences covering all branches of chemistry and
no specialization is awarded. The curriculum is rigorous in accord to international standards and
covers theory and practical courses with full emphasis to construct intellectual assets. The
students are exposed to research activities from their fifth semester. A research project of one
year is compulsory as a requisite for the partial fulfilment towards the award of degree. For the
Ph.D. students, in addition to research, the institute provides them scopes to present their
valuable results at national and international meetings and symposia.
The department is adequately equipped with the state-of-the-art instruments required to carry
out modern day chemical research. The students are provided a comprehensive practical
exposure to the various instrumental techniques required for their research.
The rigors of academic study at each level are balanced with a number of other related activities,
which include co-curricular activities. Special lectures on varied topic of academic relevance are
held under the extra mural lecture series.
The academic atmosphere at NISER, Bhubaneswar is a rare blend of modern day technical skills
and the traditional emphasis on imparting knowledge. At the School of Chemical Sciences, we
believe that chemistry is a team spirit. Hence our students grow enviable qualities like leadership,
entrepreneurship and collective social citizens. Our students are assets to the nation and are
global citizens in the true spirit.
 School of Mathematical Sciences

“The laws of Nature are written in the language of

mathematics.” - Galileo
“Mathematics - the unshaken Foundation of Sciences, and the
plentiful Fountain of Advantage to human affairs.” - Isaac Barrow

The School of Mathematics

The School of Mathematics strives to become a citadel for
mathematics and allied subjects in terms of teaching and
research. In the process, it draws its sustenance from within the mathematics and the allied
subjects and is poised for a rapid and tremendous growth which would ultimately earn
international acclaim. This apart, School of
Mathematics plays a critical and substantial role in
NISER'S teaching and research mission towards the
advancement of science. The School of Mathematics
is committed to excellence in teaching and research
in a wide variety of mathematical disciplines and has
a vibrant academic and research ambience for
faculties, students and visitors.
Faculty
We have an active, internationally-recognized
faculty. They have a strong penchant for acquiring
and updating their knowledge and imparting it to
the students. The faculty members are active at all
levels of the undergraduate and graduate programs,
integrating their expertise with teaching to give all their students the best training possible.
Besides, they take an active role in developing and
maintaining the curriculum and teaching methods. It
includes experts in Algebra, Analysis, Applied and
Computational Mathematics, Differential Equations and
Dynamics, Mathematics Education, and Statistics.
Curriculum
The school currently, offers masters programme, M.Sc. (5-
year integrated) in Mathematics and a strong Ph.D
programme. The undergraduate program in the school is
carefully designed to train the students to acquire creative
mind and analytical skills that are needed to pursue their
career. Both undergraduate and Ph.D students are
encouraged in a in-depth program of study, which would
ultimately lead to professional excellence in mathematical
research, or in an area of application. The active fields of
research covered, include real analysis, complex analysis,
harmonic analysis, functional analysis, combinatorics, graph theory and linear algebra, finite
geometries, Computer Science, Discrete Mathematics, Cryptology, Coding Theory.
Outreach
The department keeps in pace with the advances in technology, by providing its students with
separate and state-of-the-art computer facilities for the M. Sc/M. Tech. and Ph. D students. Thus,
the students get an opportunity to gain knowledge of various new areas of research using the
facilities available in their labs. The department also has its own library with a large collection of
books on Mathematics and Computer Science.
Extension
In addition to formal courses and research, seminars are conducted regularly. In the seminars,
outstanding mathematicians from throughout the world present their latest research findings in
various fields of mathematics.
Road map
For its future growth, the School envisages to introduce strong curriculum in the fields of
applied mathematics, financial mathematics and computer science so that students can take up
prominent careers in financial/industrial establishments.

School of Physical Sciences

Physics is concerned with the most basic

principles that underlie all phenomena in the
universe. They search for the most elementary
particles; they seek understanding of the behavior
of collections of particles ranging from quarks in
nuclei and electrons in atoms to stars in galaxies;
they strive for insights into the nature of space
and time, and they explore the behavior of matter
and energy. On a more human scale, physicists
study an enormous range of topics including all
the devices of modern electronics, complex
biological molecules, the atmosphere, and all
forms of energy and its uses. Studying physics
prepares some students to push back the boundaries of knowledge in this most fundamental of
the natural sciences. For others it provides training in the concepts and methods of science for
application in many professional areas, and for many it gives a more substantial basis for
understanding many aspects of modern society. Despite all the breakthroughs of the 20th
century, there are still so many fundamental questions to answer: what is dark matter? Why
doesn’t gravity work like the other fundamental forces? How many universes are there? These
are hard problems and we need the best brains out there to crack them.

The School of Physical Sciences is designed so that you can explore subjects in ways that interest
you, as you develop your knowledge and understanding.
We offer excellent teaching:

Our degree programs offer breadth as well as

depth of learning, and our flexible approach gives
you the opportunity to explore your individual
interests within your chosen subject. We have a
high faculty student ratio. We are constantly
developing new courses and improving existing
ones. Our courses are reviewed on a rolling basis
both internally and externally. Problem solving
and computing are already strong components of
the program.

The upper-level physics laboratories and

independent research courses are structured to
provide excellent opportunities for developing skills in both oral and written communication of
technical material. Personal computers and computer systems are widely available. A computer
facility is open to all majors, and there are computers in the lower level labs. All are linked
through local networks and to national and worldwide networks.

We carry out excellent research:

You will be taught by physicists who are

established researchers in their fields, ensuring
you are taken to the very edge of current
understanding. You get ample opportunities to
get involved with our research. We offer a variety
of options to suit your research interests, including
solid state physics, nuclear and particle physics
(both theory and experiments). This allows you to
specialize in one particular science strand.

Depending on your preferences you can choose theoretical projects in order to gain new and
improve existing theoretical skills, or you can
choose an experimental project. Pursuing your
project in one of our first class experimental
groups gives you the chance to work with state-
of-the-art equipment in order to develop your
experimental skills. In condensed matter physics,
the school has broad spectrum of research topics
starting: electronic structure calculations of atoms,
molecules and solids employing density
functional methods and molecular dynamics,
fundamentals of materials science and quantum
chemistry, methods for ab initio firsts principles
based studies of ground and excited electronic
states and quantum transport of electrons in
materials (development and application), designing new
materials for nano-electronics and green energy,
simulation study of phase behavior and transport in
simple and complex fluids, synthesis and understanding
the novel materials and using ion and molecular beams,
nano-photonics. The high energy physics covers the
following research topics of interest: electroweak physics
and CP violation. Collider physics, quantum chromo-
dynamics and lattice gauge theory. To keep everyone up
to date with the current research areas, we also regularly
invite scientists/researchers for departmental seminars.

We are friendly:

From the moment you join the School of Physical Sciences here at NISER, you’re instantly part of
what is a friendly and encouraging environment. We have large faculty to student ratio. So,
faculty get to know the particular aspirations of the students and are quick to point out relevant
opportunities and to tap into their network of contacts to help students get a foot in the door of
their chosen career. Starting from first week, incoming students form lasting friendships with
students in other year groups. Overall, the school is welcoming and supportive, with faculty
members and students working side by side to create a first class environment, making your
years at NISER the truly great journey a teaching and research institute experience should be.

ABOUT LOGO

National Institute of Science Education and Research has been established to promote and nurture
excellence in education and research in basic sciences. The logo of NISER symlises important aspects of
Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics. It is recognised that revolutionary discoveries are made
with important ingredients such as intuition, creativity and imaginations.

The central dividing strip is a DNA. The discovery of double helix structure was a major breakthrough in
biology. It has been said that revealing the structure of DNA is the most important step forward in life
sciences after Darwin's theory of evolution. The story of DNA is like thriller as has been narrated by Crick
and Watson.
On the left side is a Benzene ring. Kekule's idea revolutionised understanding of organic chemistry. The
original idea that there are alternating single and double bonds in Benzene is very radical. The study of
the nature of chemical bond, in the optics of quantum chemistry, has occupied several generations of
chemists.

The picture on the right hand side represents horizon of a black hole. Chandrashekar's seminal work,
based on general theory, did not gain acceptance. However, subsequent works revealed his genius.
Physics of the black hole is not understood completely to-day and it presents major challenges to
conceptual foundations of physics.

The ornamental fractal like structure with eight arms inside the circle is of deep mathematical significance.
It represents a genus 2, compact Riemann surface of constant negative curvature. The theory of Riemann
surfaces marks a significant advancement in various branches including physics and imaging human
brain. The beauty of the above curve represents the beauty and elegance of mathematics.
PM Dr. Manmohan Singh lays the foundation stone of NISER Prof. Jacques Faraut in DHA-11 Conference

CM Shri. Navin Patnaik planting a tree CM in the inaugural meeting of the new academic building

National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER)

Institute of Physics Campus, Sachivalaya Marg,
PO : Sainik School, Bhubaneswar, Orissa – 751 005
Phone : +91-674-2304000 FAX : +91-674-2302436
Website : http://niser.ac.in e-mail : director@niser.ac.in