The Interdisciplinary Mathematical Sciences PhD Programme enables students to work at the exciting interface between mathematics and biology/engineering/physics.
Since many important and challenging problems are interdisciplinary in nature, students obtaining a PhD under this programme are in high demand both in academia and industry.
Testimonials
- Interdisciplinary Mathematics PhD Programme was a perfect place for me to learn, grow and begin my career in research. The experience of being a doctoral student was broadening and profound, personally and professionally. The associated faculty at Interdisciplinary Mathematics PhD Programme are one of the best in India in the respective fields as well as highly committed to the doctoral training of students. When I joined the department with an undergrad background in engineering, I was a young and novice student. Interdisciplinary Mathematics PhD Programme provided me with an opportunity to work in interdisciplinary research on photoacoustic tomography, which has potential applications in early cancer diagnosis. My professors worked closely with me and helped to publish my research in reputed journals in the field. Eventually, when I submitted my thesis, I got immediate post-doctoral opportunities overseas. Interdisciplinary Mathematics PhD Programme provides all possible academic support to its students. When I reflect back, I consider myself grateful to Interdisciplinary Mathematics PhD Programme for the gift of education that shaped my career. I could not have imagined a better start.
-Manish Bhatt (2013-2016 at Interdisciplinary Mathematics PhD Programme)
Currently: Post doctoral fellow at University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, Canada - IMI is a unique interdisciplinary program which is very apt for students who want to work on problems spread across scientific disciplines. As an engineering graduate, it has given me a rare opportunity to formally learn about a wondrously intricate biological system, the brain, while applying and advancing my engineering knowledge as well. Such an amalgamation of detailed experiments from biology and analytical approaches involving applied mathematics has been a very enriching experience personally. I believe that this has enhanced my understanding of the scientific process of investigation and study of systems; and positively moulded my aspirations of becoming an independent researcher.
– Vinay Shirhatti - I was a PhD student in Interdisciplinary Mathematics PhD Programme, IISc from Aug 2011 to Oct 2016. These five years of experience were enriched with amazing scientific training and learning. My thesis advisors Prof. Hanudatta S. Atreya and Prof. Debnath Pal helped me in devising research plan, exploiting ideas from complementary research fields of computer science and NMR spectroscopy to address problems from yet another promising research area of metabolomics. Interdisciplinary approach to solve problems from life sciences is prominently gaining importance. IMI is one of the best programs started at IISc, aims to train people to get first-hand experience in the increasingly significant area of collaborative and interdisciplinary research. I got well versed in the vocabulary from diverse research fields and now can act as a bridge in teams with people from different research background. IMI also held periodic workshops and seminars where I participated without fail. In nutshell, those are indeed some wonderful years which contributed towards my holistic development as a scientific researcher.
– Abhinav Dubey, Research Fellow (Jan 2017 to present), Cancer Biology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston US, BCMP, Harvard Medical School, Boston US
https://connects.catalyst.harvard.edu/Profiles/display/Person/156383 - It is a great initiative, students get a broad-spectrum exposure to applied mathematics. NMI organizes many conferences and workshops year round, allowing students exposure to different topics of research. Course mandate is not strict, giving students more freedom to select courses aligned to their interest.
– Sumanta Mukherjee - My PhD journey (2010-2016) as a student of IISc Mathematics Initiative has been intellectually enriching. As a part of the programme I was exposed to various avenues of interdisciplinary research domains. Participation in workshops and seminars themed on mathematical techniques in life sciences including network science in biology provided a good platform to interact with scholars and faculties with expertise on wide range of topics, and receive feedback on my then ongoing-research. I would attribute most of my learning experience to my supervisors/mentors Prof. N. Srinivasan (Molecular Biophysics Unit) and Prof. Nagasuma Chandra (Department of Biochemistry), who guided my academic pursuit. Without a doubt the overall experience built and shaped my scientific temperament.
– Gayatri Ramakrishnan - My journey with IMI started in 2008 when I enrolled myself in their PhD program for interdisciplinary mathematical sciences. It provided me with the wonderful opportunity to pursue research under the guidance of Prof N. Srinivasan and Prof N. Chandra from Molecular Biophysics Unit and Department of Biochemistry respectively. The thing that stands out most about the IMI PhD program is the convergence of top faculty from various departments with different perspectives and expertise. The program provided me with a great platform and a conducive environment to learn, discuss and grow into a complete researcher. It gave me good exposure to various projects and techniques in both labs and helped me develop a holistic approach for my own research problems. I also benefited from a great cohort of supportive and bright students who made the journey even more rewarding. IISc – a premier research institute, is a fantastic place for higher education and scientific research and this experience was increased manifold by the numerous seminars, workshops and conferences organized by IMI department, varying from networks in biology, sociology and engineering, bio-inspired techniques, theoretical and mathematical biology and systems biology. I would also like to mention the immense support provided by the extremely efficient IMI staff for all the paperwork and events. To sum up, IMI PhD program has been instrumental in my personal and professional development and I will always cherish my days spent on this beautiful campus!
– Richa Mudgal