Vision

The Physics Department of IIT Kanpur is engaged in research and teaching in the frontier areas of experimental and theoretical physics. These include biological physics, condensed matter physics, high energy and nuclear physics, cosmology, astrophysics, string theory, photonics, quantum optics, information theory, quantum computation, nonlinear dynamics, statistical physics and soft matter physics. Excellence in research and teaching has been the focus of this Department ever since its inception. Today, the vision is to groom leaders who will excel in their workplace as a result of the foundation they have received during their education at IIT Kanpur.

Information about the department (as on March 2024)

Manpower data:

List of Research laboratories:

1. Photonics Lab: Prof. R. Vijaya
2. Diffuse Light Imaging Laboratory: Prof. H. Wanare
3. Quantum Measurements Lab: Prof. Saikat Ghosh
4. Quantum Optics and Entanglement Lab: Prof. Anand Kumar Jha
5. Fiber Optics Lab: Prof. Saurabh Mani Tripathi
6. Magnetic Field Imaging Lab: Prof. Satyajit Banerjee
7. Superconductivity and Magnetism Lab: Prof. Zakir Hossain
8. Soft Matter Physics Laboratory: Prof. Krishnacharya
9. Magnetoelectronics Lab: Prof. Soumik Mukhopadhyay
10. Low-Temperature Lab, SQUID/PPMS Lab: Prof. K. P. Rajeev
11. STM Lab: Prof. Anjan Kumar Gupta
12. Physics of Electronic Materials: Prof. Y. N. Mohapatra
13. Optical Spectroscopy Lab: Prof. Rajeev Gupta
14. Condensed Matter-Low Dimensional Systems Lab: Prof. Zakir Hossain
15. Waves and Beams Lab: Prof. Sudeep Bhattacharjee
16. Simulation and Modeling Lab: Prof. M. K. Verma
17. Soft and active matter Lab: Prof. Manas Khan
18. Tandetron Accelerator Lab: Prof. Aditya H Kelkar
19. Spectroscopic Investigation of Novel systems: Prof. Jayita Nayak
20. Quantum Materials Laboratory: Prof. Chanchal Sow
21. Soft and Biological Matter Lab: Prof. Sivasurendar Chandran
22. Opto-Electronics Lab: Prof. Sudipta Dubey
23. Opto-Spintronics Lab: Prof. Rohit Medwal
24. Cold Ions Quantum Technologies Lab : Prof. Sapam Ranjita Chanu
25. Nano scale optics Lab : Prof. Venkata Jayasurya Yallapragada
26. Ultrafast Light Matter Interaction Lab: Prof. Chandrima Banerjee
27. Light Innovation Laboratory: Prof. S. Anantha Ramakrishna

List of Teaching Laboratories:

1. UG Lab (PHY 101)
2. Optics Lab (PHY 224)
3. Modern Physics Lab (PHY 315)
4. Electronics Lab (PHY441)
5. MSc Lab (PHY 461/462)

List of Central/Common facilities:

1. Workshop
2. Department Library
3. Squid/PPMS lab
4. FIB facility
5. Low Dimensional Lab
6. Tandetron Accelerator
7. Computer Lab for PhD students

Admission criteria

B.S: Admission is by the nation-wide Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE) conducted for those who have completed 12 years of schooling. Admission is done once in a year. One can consult the IIT-JEE website for relevant details. Conversion to M.S is possible for those who satisfy the required criteria.

M.Sc (2 yrs) and M.Sc-Ph.D: Admission is by the nation-wide Joint Admission Test (JAM) conducted for those with Bachelors’ Degree. Admission is done once in a year. For more details, one may consult the JAM website.

Ph.D: Admission is by a written test and interview for those who have :

• A Master's degree in the relevant subject or a Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Science (4-year programme) with marks/CPI not below the specified
• The candidate either must have a valid GATE score or must have qualified JRF, or should have INSPIRE In addition to GATE/JRF, a valid JEST score is also an eligibility criterion for applying to the PhD programme in Physics. The requirement of GATE/JRF/JEST is waived for candidates having a Master's degree from IITs/IISERs with a minimum CPI of 8.0. Admission is done once or twice in a year, depending on the availability of seats.

Recruitment criteria

Recruitment for Faculty positions: The institute has a common faculty recruitment portal where applications can be submitted online. Departmental committees conduct seminars (skype/online or in person) based on the departmental feedback. All the applications are scrutinized by the selection committee (appointed by the Director) and makes the decision on selection. Applicants are expected to have an exceptional academic record in their Bachelors’, Masters’ and Doctoral studies, and 3 years of post-doctoral research experience to be considered for the post of Assistant Professor. Appointments are also made at Associate Professor and Professor level, following the same set of norms prescribed by the institute for all departments.

Recruitment for Staff positions: The institute advertises on its website whenever staff recruitment is initiated. All the available posts, their numbers, and the essential/desired qualifications are mentioned in the advertisement. The department assists in the scrutiny and conduct of written/trade tests and/or interviews as applicable, and a committee appointed by the Director makes the selection.