Join Us : Overview
CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL), one of the first members of the CSIR family of national laboratories, has the stated vision of advancing knowledge and applying chemical science for people's good. To this end, it is engaged in fundamental and applied research in various areas of chemistry and allied sciences and engineering energy, environment, sustainability, materials, process development, and healthcare. We offer a collegial atmosphere with all staff members encouraged to work on ambitious collaborative projects. We offer an environment and an ecosystem that enables interactions with industries, including startup enterprises, allowing a smoother translation of science into solutions and ensuring awareness of research relevant to real-world problems.
CSIR-NCL has a vibrant scientific community consisting of scientists, technical officers, post-doctoral researchers, M. Tech. and Ph.D. students, and project staff. This page describes the process of applying for such positions.
Scientist positions
CSIR-NCL is constantly looking for talented scientists and technologists interested in working together to solve challenging scientific problems and provide technological solutions. Almost all scientists possess a Ph.D. degree at the time of joining CSIR-NCL. We expect our scientists to have core domain competency in scientific areas or R&D support functions such as science communication, IP management, or science policy. For applicants who have just completed their Ph.D. or have limited post-doctoral experience, we expect an excellent academic record, evidence of individual intellectual contribution during the Ph.D./post-doctoral, and an ability to identify technological and scientific challenges in the relevant/planned area of research. For applicants seeking more senior positions, in addition to these attributes, we expect evidence of scientific leadership as evidenced by conceptualizing and executing scientific and industrial research projects, leading other scientists and trainees, or significant experience in a relevant industrial R&D organization.
Applicants may write to director@ncl.res.in, attaching (i) a detailed CV including age/year of birth information and highlighting their academic and intellectual accomplishments; (ii) a research plan that should clearly identify problems and propose short- and long-term projects to address those problems. The research plan should highlight the importance of the proposed work and its complementarity/synergy with existing CSIR-NCL research areas, and (iii) (optional) a teaching plan stating potential contribution to the training of M. Tech. and Ph.D. students.
The applicants should follow the instructions given in the advertisement. The advertisements for scientist positions are published on the website (https://www.ncl-india.org/files/JoinUs/JobVacancies/PermanentJobs.aspx) and in major newspapers.
Technical Officer Positions
The technical staff is mainly responsible for the maintenance, day-to-day management, and operation of instruments, equipment, and facilities at CSIR-NCL. We expect our technical staff to have competence in their trade/ area of expertise, a willingness to work in teams to achieve institutional and project goals, and an ability to learn new skills to keep up with the changing scientific and technological milieu.
Technical officer positions are also advertised through this site (https://www.ncl-india.org/files/JoinUs/JobVacancies/PermanentJobs.aspx) and elsewhere. The application process may include a trade test, a written test, and an interview.
Post-doctoral researchers
Post-doctoral researchers seeking short-term positions to work with individual scientists should email those scientists or the Division Chair if they are unable to identify a suitable mentor. If there are open positions (funded through specific projects) available with individual scientists or a mutual desire to explore application for short-term national-level fellowship/funding (such as the SERB N-PDF), individual scientists will respond. Applications seeking endorsement for such fellowships, such as the NPDF scheme, must be endorsed by the proposed mentor and the corresponding divisional chair.
Researchers seeking endorsement for other longer-term fellowships such as the DBT-Wellcome, Ramalingaswami, and Ramanujan fellowships should write to director@ncl.res.in attaching a detailed CV and research plan as described in the section on scientist positions. Such post-doctoral fellows may co-advise a limited number of CSIR-NCL/AcSIR Ph.D. students during their fellowship tenure.
Students
Applicants for the Ph.D. and M. Tech. programs at CSIR-NCL should follow the process outlined at academic website http://academic.ncl.res.in/
Recent graduates seeking short-term project assistant positions should email individual scientists or look at the advertisements on this website (https://www.ncl-india.org/files/JoinUs/JobVacancies/TemporaryJobs.aspx).
Students seeking to carry out either summer projects or undergraduate/master's research projects at NCL should email individual mentors to check if they have any vacancies.