Ph.D. in Life Sciences is a doctoral program offered by the School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri campus.
Last Date to Apply:
June 5, 2026
Date of Entrance Exam:
June 14, 2026
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has not appointed any agent or third-party representative within India for admissions to any programme. Students residing in India are advised not to make payments or seat reservation advances to any individual or organization claiming to offer admission assistance for Amrita campuses.
For international admissions, the University may work with authorized overseas representatives in select countries. International applicants are advised to verify the credentials of such representatives through official Amrita communication channels before proceeding with applications or payments.
– Issued in Public Interest by Directorate of Admissions and Academic Outreach
The Research focus at the School of Biotechnology reflects the primary goals of research at Amrita which are:
• Compassion Driven Research
• Global Impact
• Education for Life
The main objective of the programme is to generate interest in the pursuit of research with societal impact in the arena of Biotechnology and the development of expansive knowledge leading to a Ph.D. degree in a value-based environment.
The exciting thematic areas of research at the School of Biotechnology include Stem Cell & Regenerative Biology, Developmental Biology, Systems Genomics, Antimicrobial Resistance, Proteomics and Biomarker Discovery, Cancer Biology, Glycobiology, Natural product Lead Discovery, Bioinformatics (Applications of ML and AI, NLP), Sanitation Biotechnology, Bioconjugate Chemistry, Biomolecular Chemistry and Venomics.
Disciplined and serene campus environment, offering an excellent ambience for learning and overall growth.
Full Time: Master’s Degree in Biotechnology, Biochemical Engineering, Biochemistry, Chemistry or any branch of Biological Sciences with at least 60% marks. Those candidates who qualified CSIR/UGC JRF or GATE can directly appear for the interview while others should appear for a written test which will be conducted in the last week of June and December every year. Such candidates will be called for the interview based on their performance in the written test and their qualifying examination.
Part Time: Every year a few seats are kept for promising faculty members of Amrita Institutions and various other universities for the Ph.D. programme. These candidates have to appear for a written test and interview, and based on the merit list, such candidates will be offered an admission for Ph.D. programme.
Stem Cell & Regenerative Biology
Developmental Biology
Systems Genomics
Antimicrobial Resistance
Proteomics and Biomarker Discovery
Cancer Biology
Glycobiology
Natural product Lead Discovery
Bioinformatics (Applications of ML and AI, NLP)
Sanitation Biotechnology
Bioconjugate Chemistry
Biomolecular Chemistry
Venomics
*Applicable Programs.
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri
| Title | PI Name | Funding Agency | Year |
| Targeting Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in Multidrug Resistant (MDR) ESKAPE Pathogens | Dr. Geetha Kumar, Dr. Bipin Nair | Tata Institute of Genetics and Society | 2018-2022 |
| Innate Immune Regulation of Cardiac Regeneration | Dr. Indulekha Pillai | DBT | 2017-2022 |
| Modulating macrophage phenotype to inhibit and reverse cardiac muscle calcification | Dr. Indulekha Pillai | DST-SERB | 2020-2023 |
| Dissecting Vitamin K Pathways in Humans using Next Generation Sequencing | Dr. Prashanth Suravajhala | DST – SERB | 2020 – 2023 |
| Investigating role of ER-phagy inhibition in inducing paraptosis in triple-negative breast cancer | Dr. Nandita Mishra | ICMR | 2022 – 2025 |
| Therapeutic targeting of autophagy in hypertrophied myocardium: potential effects of compounds from Desmodium gangeticum | Dr. Vandana Sankar | DST-SERB | 2022 – 2025 |
| Dissecting the role of Rv1899c, an HDAC1-ZBTB25 interacting protein of Mycobacteria in downregulating the expression of macrophage IL-12B during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection | Dr. Aravind Madhavan | DST-SERB | 2023-2026 |
| A Customizable and Intelligent Artificial Pancreas for Type-1 Diabetic Patients of India with a Cost-Effective Insulin Pump | Dr. Bipin Nair | Sree Padmavathi Venkateswara Foundation | 2024-2026 |
| Development of nitric oxide releasing multifaceted biomaterial-based approach for infected diabetic wounds | Dr. Geetha Kumar, Dr. Bipin Nair | DST STARS | 2023 – 2026 |
|
Sl. No. |
Name |
Achievements |
| 1 | Dr. Bipin Nair | Adjunct Professor, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson,USA |
| 2 | Dr. Indulekha Pillai | Ramalingaswamy Fellowship, Department of Biotechnology |
| 3 | Dr. Muralidharan V | ICMR-DHR Young Scientists Fellowship |
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri
| Name of the Research Lab |
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Amrita School of Biotechnology (ASBT) is a place where I first started my professional career. I would say, the environment and enthusiasm here at ASBT motivated me to pursue a career in research and finally, I achieved what I never even thought of – A doctorate and that too with flying colours. All the faculty members here at ASBT are sincerely and genuinely concerned about the welfare of each student and they try their best to uplift them by constantly motivating and also loving them as their family members. The extraordinary capabilities of the faculty members and the curriculum at ASBT helps a lot in molding the career of the student. I am extremely thankful to my mentor as well as the all the faculty members at ASBT for their valuable guidance and motivation.
When I stepped into the Amrita School of Biotechnology (ASBT) long back in 2010, I never thought that it would be a turning point in my life, a key to open the door to the miracles awaiting me. The School became my second home and each member of the ASBT family has been so close to my heart. From the very first day of joining the Master’s program, all the way to completion of my doctoral study, the immense support from each and every faculty member is beyond words. I wonder if there are any other Institutes with such wonderful mentors. The curriculum here at ASBT is designed such that in addition to learning the subject matter, you learn to think outside the box and consider the numerous possibilities open to you in the scientific field. I would say that the ten years that I spent at ASBT have molded, nurtured, encouraged and shaped me into what I am today and I am so proud to be a part of ASBT family.
The doctoral program at Amrita School of Biotechnology (ASBT) prepared me for a career in research. All the faculty members at ASBT are very encouraging and supportive. I still share a very close bond with many of the faculties I worked with. The infrastructure, seminars and the thought provoking scientific sessions make ASBT an ideal place to indulge in research and learn more about science. The mentorship and training that I obtained, equipped me for the position that I am currently in. Personally, I feel I am extremely lucky to have been a part of the Amrita family.
“The PhD program at Amrita School of Biotechnology has been life-changing. The commitment of faculty, openness of laboratory heads and research interests unified by strong expertise has been unique. Thanks to international collaborations, i could move into a position in Italy soon after and my PhD days. I fondly associate to the inter-disciplinary research at the computational neuroscience laboratory there. My advisor prepared me for a successful career challenging me with world class problems and by constantly pushing me. At Amrita, I found a more supportive environment with an international outlook.”
Doctoral programs at ASBT provide a diverse, inclusive, and research-intensive learning environment. When I look back, it is amazing to see how much I changed during the past eight years of my doctoral studies in ASBT. Before the starting of my doctoral studies, I had no idea about independent academic research. My views towards the research were re-shaped by the training I got in ASBT. I also benefited from a great cohort of supportive and bright colleagues who made the journey even more rewarding. My research was benefited immensely by the guidance of Dr. Bipin Nair who supported my interest in this field and encouraged me to develop my critical perspective. I am very thankful for the encouragement and support of faculty and staff members of ASBT.
I did Masters in Bioinformatics from the School of Biotechnology during the year 2008-2010 and earned a Ph.D. in Computational Neuroscience in 2017. During my Ph.D. I studied neuronal excitability in the granular layer ensembles of the cerebellum by modeling local field potential (LFP) under the supervision of Dr. Shyam Diwakar. The years I spent at the campus were marvelous. Like other campuses of Amrita University, the amritapuri campus also has a well-structured engineering college. That helped us learning engineering methods (courses) to solve our research objectives. The state of the art research labs and facility provided in the school of biotechnology enabled me to perform advanced analysis in my research and publish our work in high impact international journals. My current research interest/study is on localizing the epileptogenic zone in the brain of epilepsy patients. The basic concepts in neuroscience and mathematical modeling I learned during my Ph.D. helped a lot here. I thank Amma for giving me an opportunity to do my studies in the university.
“My time in the PhD program at the Amrita School of Biotechnology was about immense experience and commitment. The well-structured program combined with continued and priceless support from my advisors and School’s Dean made my PhD journey successful and memorable. It also helped me discover my passion for academic research and transform into an independent researcher. I strongly recommend Amrita School of Biotechnology to future PhD students.”
Admission – Ph.D. Program,
School of Biotechnology
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham,
Amritapuri Campus
Email: asbt-phd-office@am.amrita.edu
