OPPORTUNITIES
We are inviting applications for two fully funded PhD positions under the Joint PhD Program between BITS Pilani, India, and RMIT University, Australia. If you are passionate about material science and nanotechnology and want to shape solutions with global impact, we encourage you to apply.
Project 1: Intrinsically Chiral Metal Nanoparticles as a New Class of Enantioselective Nanozymes
Project ID: BRJP26100082
• BITS PI: Prof. Amrita Chakraborty
• RMIT PI: Prof. Vipul Bansal
• RMIT Co-PI: Prof. Rajesh Ramanathan
Project 2: Atomically Precise Nanocluster-assembled Plasmonic Nanoparticles: Next generation Catalysts for Energy Conversion
Project ID: BRJP26100121
• BITS PI: Prof. Amrita Chakraborty
• BITS Co-PI: Prof. Sounak Roy
• RMIT PI: Prof. Daniel Gomez
• RMIT Co-PI: Prof. Ewan Blanch
What These Positions Offers
→ A joint PhD award from BITS Pilani and RMIT University
→ Full tuition scholarships from RMIT and highly subsidised fees at BITS
→ A stipend, health cover, and return airfare while based in Melbourne
→ Co-supervision from faculty at both institutions and access to their world-class research infrastructure
→ A global academic experience, starting at BITS and extending with up to a year in Australia
→ A clear four-year progression, including structured coursework, confirmation milestones, and thesis completion
→ Research opportunities aligned with RMIT’s impact-driven platforms, spanning both STEM and non-STEM domains
⚠️ Application Deadline: March 28, 2026
• More information and application link: Click here
• Search here with respective Project ID and title: Click here
RESEARCH INTEREST
The electronic properties of materials undergo remarkable transformations at the nanoscale. Metallic nanoparticles exhibit enhanced light–matter interactions through localized surface plasmon resonances, while atomically precise nanoclusters composed of a defined number of atoms display discrete, molecule-like optoelectronic characteristics. Integrating metallic, nonmetallic, and soft nanosystems into well-defined colloidal assemblies offers a powerful approach to engineer functional nanomaterials for multimodal applications. Our research aims to design and synthesize novel nanostructures through controlled nanoscale chemistry and to probe their behavior at the single-particle level using advanced spectroscopic techniques. We further seek to harness the emergent physicochemical properties of these nanostructures for applications in biosensing and molecular diagnostics.
