Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune

The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune is one of seven IISER’s across India. The Indian government has designated IISER Pune as one of the country’s primary research facilities for the basic sciences.

Pune was one of the first of the IISERs to be launched in 2006. It offers a five year bachelor of science and master of science dual degree, as well as integrated and non-integrated PhD programmes. The university’s areas of research include biology; chemistry; physics; mathematics; Earth and climate science; and humanities and social science. Nearly 1,300 students are enrolled at IISER Pune, with the faculty numbering around 120.

Some of the significant research that has taken place at IISER Pune includes the sequencing of the Asian elephant’s genome and the development of a battery that draws its energy from a light source. The university also has a presence at the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland.

The university’s buildings are in Pashan, a northwestern suburb of Pune, the capital of the western Indian region of Maharashtra, The city has been described as the “Oxford of the East”, given its large student population. Of the 40,000 international students in India, over half are at institutions in Pune.

IISER has several research centres, including the the DBT Centre of Excellence in Epigenetics; the National Facility for Gene Function in Health and Disease; the Centre of Excellence in Science and Mathematics Education; and the Centre for Energy Science.