IISER Mohali Campus Experience

The Indian Institute(s) of Science Education and Research (IISER) are the seven premier research institutions of the country with campuses in Pune, Mohali, Kolkata, Bhopal, Thiruvananthapuram, Beherampur and Tirupati. Although, relatively new, IISERs have nurtured and are catering to some of the top contemporary minds in India and have skyrocketed India’s research culture (especially in pure sciences) in the recent years.

I was a student of the Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University for the session 2020-23 enrolled in the program of Bachelors of Science (Math Majors). I wanted to go for higher studies in mathematics and since the condition of Indian Universities (even the topmost ones, my case, for instance) are deplorable, I applied to various top schools for research in the country, one of them being IISER Mohali which has one of the best math department (especially in geometry) in the country.

IISER Mohali (www.iisermohali.ac.in) boasts a clean and green campus with security guards all over the 125 acres of land. It has 6 eight-level hostels, each one equipped with its own air-conditioned study rooms, a visitor hostel and faculty apartments all well furnished and all the rooms have an attached balcony. It has a Lecture hall complex and two academic buildings where all the faculty offices and labs are situated. The campus also boasts of some high end laboratories including the animal facility and the central analytical facility. But the best part of the campus for me is the library, fully airconditioned, and a large collection of books catering to the needs of students. All and all this is THE place if you want to top quality research in the country.

Anyways, I got enrolled in the Integrated Ph.D. program in mathematics, we get a monthly stipend of Rs. 12,400 and in the PhD we shall be getting a monthly stipend in parallel to that of CSIR NET JRF (subject to qualifying an internal comprehensive exam). The course structure is very rigorous and frequent quizzes and assignments, to survive in this course structure one needs to study consistently after classes. But on the brighter side, we have an amazing faculty who are more than ready to help whenever you need them to. In fine, I have had a fruitful learning experience in IISER Mohali in my first year of my integrated PhD coursework.

IISERs are mainly research oriented institutes, so campus placements in private companies are not among the popular choices. People opt to go for PhDs or post docs abroad in places like Max Planck (IISER Mohali has an MoE signed with it), UC Davies, MIT and to name a few.

IISER Mohali has a rich diversity of students here, people from all over India come to this place. We have an active cultural and sports society here with cultural nights happening every 2 months or so which really boosts our all round development as individuals. IISER Mohali has its flagship fest, named Insomnia, typically held in the month of October. In 2023, Indian Ocean band came to perform here.

All in all, IISER Mohali may be a small campus, but it is rich in the sense of student culture. There is no kind of ragging whatsoever, the seniors are busy in their own research, always ready to help you in case of any doubts. I have made many new friends here, we embark on trekkings and trips whenever we are free from our studies.