Announcement for Integrated M.Sc.-Ph.D. in Life Sciences: Monsoon 2026

The Department of Life Sciences in the School of Natural Sciences at Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence (Deemed to be University), Delhi-NCR, invites applications for admission to the integrated Ph.D. program for the Monsoon semester (Aug 2026).

Research areas in the Department of Life Sciences

Research in the Department of Life Sciences is multifaceted, with a major focus on the areas of

  • Cancer Biology
  • Virology
  • Cell Signalling 
  • Epigenetics
  • Neuroscience
  • Bioinformatics
  • Plant Biology
  • Bacterial Morphogenesis and Biofilms
  • Protein Folding and Stress Response 
  • Chromatin remodelling factors and nuclear receptor signalling
  • Protein Structure Biology
  • Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
  • Noncoding RNA & gene regulation 
  • Developmental Biology 
  • Regeneration Biology
  • Vascular development, Lymphatic trans differentiation
  • Immunology
  • Animal Behaviour

 

Many of our research projects are interdisciplinary, involving collaborations with other Departments/Schools/Centers of the University. Detailed descriptions of the research areas of each faculty member can be found at https://snu.edu.in/departments/department-of-life-sciences/

Eligibility: A candidate who has passed a Bachelor’s degree in any branch of Biology/ Life Sciences with a minimum 60% (or equivalent grade) marks and a minimum first division in both 10 & 10+2 levels. Students awaiting their final year results for the Bachelor’s program can still apply if their cumulative mark for the previous year is 55%. However, if qualified, such students must provide proof of at least 60% marks or an equivalent grade point before securing admission to the program.

Syllabus for Entrance Exam: Bachelor’s (B. Sc) level in any branch of Biology/Life Sciences

Types of questions in the exam: Multiple-choice questions (No negative marking)

Last Date for Applying:  1st July 2026

Written Entrance Examination: Online on 3rd July 2026 (online)

Interview: SNIoE University campus on 9th and 10th July 2026

How to Apply: Candidates can apply for integrated PhD admission through the process given below.

SNU entrance exam (online) qualified candidates: Applicants must apply for the SNU Entrance Exam (online). The last date to fill out the online application form is 1st July 2026. Candidates who hold fellowships through CSIR/UGC- JRF, INSPIRE, ICMR, DBT-JRF, and similar programs are eligible for a direct interview.

Selection process: Based on their performance in the SNU Entrance written test on 3rd July 2026 (online), candidates will be invited to a face-to-face interview at Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence (SNIoE), Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh. The tentative dates for on-campus interviews are 9th and 10th July 2026. Any changes to the dates listed above will be communicated promptly. Candidates who hold fellowships through CSIR/UGC- JRF, INSPIRE, ICMR, DBT-JRF, and similar programs are eligible for a direct interview at the SNIoE campus.

Application Instructions:

All interested applicants should apply online by clicking the “Apply Now” button at the bottom of this page. Please follow the instructions carefully.

  • Fill all the mandatory fields
  • Upload the following documents online:
  • Passport-size color photograph
  • Current CV
  • All Mark sheets/Degree Certificates
  • JRF Fellowship Certificate- CSIR, UGC, INSPIRE, ICMR, etc. (if applicable)
  • A Statement of Purpose

Please make provision for at least one reference letter in support of your application.

The candidate may note that the University reserves the right to accept or reject any application based on its departmental screening criteria; hence, not all applications may be shortlisted for interview.

Financial Support & Research Grants for Integrated M.Sc. - PhD program Students

For the Integrated M.Sc. - PhD program, students enrolled in the initial year (s) (until PhD enrollment) will receive a monthly stipend of ₹12,000 as a teaching and research assistantship for 10 months per year**.  During the Master's program, students will also be eligible for a 40% waiver on the annual tuition fee and an annual hostel fee subsidy of ₹30,000. Upon successful completion and based on performance, they will be admitted to the PhD program. The continuation of this award depends on satisfactory performance as a doctoral award (teaching and research assistantship), including a monthly stipend of ₹45,000 for the first two years and ₹50,000 for the next three years, subject to benchmarked performance. The continuation of this award depends on satisfactory performance in the program, which is continuously evaluated, and compliance with all university regulations. Additionally, all full-time Ph.D. scholars will receive an annual tuition waiver of ₹60,000 and an annual hostel fee subsidy of ₹60,000. Deserving Ph.D. students will also be eligible for a travel research grant of ₹1,50,000 to support conference travel (only for Scopus-indexed conferences), both domestic and international, during the five-year Ph.D. program.

** Exit with M.Sc. (Research) Degree: Applicants with a 4-year bachelor’s degree can opt out with a master’s degree after completion of 2 semesters/completion of 40 credits. Applicants with a 3-year bachelor's degree must complete 4 semesters (80 credits) to earn a master's degree. Students who do not meet the department's minimum criteria will be awarded a master’s degree after 2 semesters upon successful completion of 40 credits for 4-year bachelor's students and 4 semesters upon successful completion of 80 credits for 3-year bachelor's students.

Note: 

  • The application is not considered complete until all the necessary details are filled out, supported by the required documents, and the application fee.

 

  • Please note that fulfilling the minimum essential criteria does not ensure a candidate will be called for the exam and interview. Additional short-listing criteria may be set by the department based on the candidate’s academic records, experience, research interests, and the department's vacancies.

Detailed information about the fee structure and the nature of assistantships is available on the SNIoE admission website.

Important dates:

Exam

Important dates

Last Dates

Last date of Application

Last date of Online form Submission

1st July 2026

SNU Entrance

 

Online Exam

3rd July 2026

On-Campus Interviews

9th and 10th July 2026

 

 

Any changes to the mentioned dates will be communicated promptly.

For any queries related to the application and admission, you may contact: Mr. Anil Kumar Shukla, Senior Administrative Assistant, Department of Life Sciences. Email: [email protected] Telephone: 0120-7170100 Extn: 654

Please note that the application will only be considered if all the required documents are provided. For any queries regarding applications and admissions, write to the Email ID above. 

Application Submission Guidelines

  • Applications must be submitted online—offline submissions will not be accepted.
  • Incomplete applications or those missing Statement of purpose, Referee Reports, or any other required documents will not be processed.

Shortlisted candidates will receive a call letter from SNIoE that includes the interview schedule and further instructions.

For any clarifications, please contact [email protected].

 

About Life Sciences Department:

Many of our research projects are interdisciplinary, involving collaborations across the globe. Detailed descriptions of the research interests of our faculty and other information are provided on the Departmental websites: https://snu.edu.in/departments/department-of-life-sciences/; https://lsci.snu.edu.in/research/laboratories

Research Infrastructure: The laboratories of the Department of Life Sciences and School of Natural Sciences are well equipped with state-of-the-art research facilities and equipment, including a Next Generation Sequencing facilities, Flow cytometer and sorter, Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope, Spinning disk microscope, Real-Time PCR, Advanced Fluorescence Microscopes including live imaging, Culture facilities (BSL-2) for Mammalian cells, Parasites and Viruses, BSL-3 laboratory, and a central instrumentation facility comprising LC-MS, XRD, AFM, CD-Spectrophotometer, MST, Raman spectrometer, Luminometer, ultracentrifuge, etc. A state-of-the-art SPF animal facility called Center for Integrative and Translational Research (CITRES) was inaugurated in January 2024. This facility houses multiple animal models and is equipped for generating genome-edited animals. The computational facilities include a high-performance IBM cluster (“Magus”) consisting of 57 compute nodes (8064 cores) with a total capacity of 320 TFlops of Theoretical Peak Performance. Additionally, several stand-alone Linux workstations are used for teaching and research. Several Bioinformatics and Cheminformatics analysis software are also available. The Center for Excellence in Epigenetics is part of the Department of Life Sciences, which houses state-of-the-art facilities for epigenetics, genomics, proteomics, and drug discovery studies. 

About Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, Delhi-NCR

Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, Delhi-NCR, is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, research-focused, and student-centric institution that is bringing a paradigm shift in higher education in India through its innovative curriculum, interdisciplinary focus, and cross-disciplinary thinking. The University is building an ecosystem of knowledge to promote recognition of the interconnectedness of ideas, systems, and environments worldwide, both on and off campus. The University has 4 Schools, 24 Departments, and 8 Research Centers engaged in teaching, practice, and research in disciplines as diverse as Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences, Management, Natural Sciences, Art, Design, Performing Arts, Communication, and Extended Education and Professional Development. The schools offer Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees along with a multidisciplinary curriculum to enable students to explore subjects and disciplines that may be widely different from their chosen Majors. 

The University has been selected as one of the four private “Institutions of Eminence” by the Government. In the NIRF (Government’s National Institutional Ranking Framework), SNIoE is the youngest institution on the ‘top 100’ overall list, and our score has risen steadily. In NIRF-2025, SNIoE ranked 57 in the ‘University’ category. We are also among a selected group of green-field institutions in the country that was awarded the prestigious Atal Incubation Center grant by the Niti Aayog, Government of India, in the first round in 2017.