Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), Guwahati

A premier scientific research organization in the north-east region, conceived and nurtured by the Assam Science Society in its initial years and was inaugurated by Nobel Laureate Dorothy C. Hodgkin on 3^rd November 1979.

About IASST

The Institute of Advanced Study in Science & Technology (IASST) was set up in 1979 by the Assam Science Society with the prime objective of setting up a premier research establishment in the NE region to deal with problems of the north-east in particular and the country in general.  The Institute was inaugurated by the Nobel Laureate Prof. Dorothy Hodgkin on 3^rd November 1979. The Assam Science Society provided the necessary facilities at the beginning and The Government of Assam provided a lump sum annual grant-in-aid to the Institute since 1991-92 to carry out research in frontier areas of science & technology. The IASST was registered as a separate entity in 1991 under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860 under Regd. No. 4219 of 1990-91. The Institute was later shifted to its present location near "Deepar beel", a natural lake in the western side of Guwahati, in June 2004. The Institute has been recently taken over as an autonomous research Institute by the Government of India under the Department of Science and Technology (DST).

The Institute is engaged in multi-disciplinary research activities, both in fundamental and applied, across frontier areas of science and technology such as Plasma Physics, Polymer Sciences, Biochemistry, Drug Design & Development, Nano-science, Medicinal Plants, Seri Biotechnology, Microbial Biotechnology, Environmental Sciences, Microbial Fuel Cell etc.

Vision and Mission

Vision

To emerge as a centre of excellence in frontier research areas of Physical and Life Sciences with international visibility and building human resources towards advanced scientific knowledge for societal development.

Mission

• Building of state-of-the-art infrastructure for basic and applied research in the area of Physical & Life Sciences
• Generation of technology from natural resources of NE region and their application for socio-economic upliftment
• Generation of quality scientific manpower from among human resources of NE region

Key Objectives

• To create a centre of excellence for basic applied scientific research in Physical and Life Sciences
• To strengthen scientific research in core areas by generating funds through extramural projects
• To attract and motivate the young talents towards scientific research
• To spread awareness for growth of science and technology in the region through societal interventions

Research Themes

The Institute is engaged in multi-disciplinary research activities, both in fundamental and applied, across frontier areas of science and technology such as Plasma Physics, Polymer Sciences, Biochemistry, Drug Design & Development, Nano-science, Medicinal Plants, Seri Biotechnology, Microbial Biotechnology, Environmental Sciences, Microbial Fuel Cell etc.

Academics

Ph.D. Programmes

Common Ph.D. Programme

IASST offers Ph.D. programme of the institute for excellent quality students. The minimum requirement is the qualification of NET conducted by CSIR, ICAR, DBT, ICMR or INSPIRE Fellowship programme of DST. For students who do not have a qualified NET score, admission is based on Entrance Test conducted by IASST followed by an interview by an Expert Panel.

Ph.D. Under Extramural Funded Projects of IASST

The institute encourages the Junior Research Fellows of Externally Funded Projects (EFP) to register for Ph.D. programme. However, the scholarships of these EFP-JRF Ph.D. students will be their remuneration during the project period. A research fellow of a project will carry out his/her Ph.D. research on the theme of the EFP. IASST is affiliated to Guwahati University and Cotton University for Ph.D. Registration.

IASST and Deakin University, Australia Joint Ph.D. Programme

IASST and Deakin University, Australia had signed an MoU for collaborative research to be carried out at both the Institutes. This collaboration includes Ph.D. research in the advanced field of science under the joint supervision of a principal supervisor at Deakin University and a lead supervisor from IASST on a selected theme, and the degree will be offered by the Deakin University, Australia. Candidates who have already cleared IELTS/TOEFL (with an overall IELTS score of 6.5 with no band less than 6.0 for faculty of SEBE) will be preferred. Remuneration for the period of research in Australia will be governed as per the norms of the Deakin India Research Initiative (DIRI) programme of Deakin University and for the remaining period as per the norms that guide research fellowship of DST, Government of India.

Post-Doctoral Programme

IASST encourages talented persons with Ph.D. degree to apply for INSPIRE Faculty/Ramalingaswami Fellow and other National Fellowships such as Woman Scientist Scheme, DBT-PDF and Ramanujan Fellowship programme to the respective funding agencies. However, such applications will be subject to a rigorous screening process in the Institute prior to recommendation to DST, GOI.

Internship Programmes

Summer Competitive Programme

IASST conducts a Summer Students Programme of 2 months duration each year for undergraduate and master students. The advertisement process starts in March each year and aspiring candidates need to apply online. The selection of candidates is made on the basis of merit. Each IASST faculty is allotted 2 students per year. The selected students are paid a monthly stipend along with return train fare by 2AC from their parent institution.

Year Around Internship Programme

IASST runs students training programmes for the mutual benefits of the students and supervisor scientists. Students training can be 2 to 6 months duration. Six months duration programme is for master's degree students who intend to do project work in any of the ongoing research themes pursued in the Institute.

Special Fellowship to Brilliant Research Students

In the interest of quality research, the institute may extend brilliant research students to continue their research even after Ph.D. viva (within 5 year time frame) with financial support from the core budget of the institute subject to the fulfillment of the conditions.

Facilities

• Central Instrumentation Facility
• Knowledge Resource Center
• Bio-Resource Conservation Hub
• Bioinformatics Infrastructure Facility (BIF)
• Recreation Facility
• BCH Medicinal Plant Garden
• GLP Compliant Animal House
• Bio-Tech Hub
• Dorothy Hodgkin Students and Scientists Home
• IT Services
• QC/QA Lab
• Incubation/ISVEC/Bio-Nest/BIRAC 
• SC/ST Training Center
• Mushroom Production & Training and Vermicompost Center
• Mini Sports Complex
• Orchid Resource
• Observatory Center
• Chintan Chora
• Bio-Nest
• COVID-19 Testing and Research Laboratory

Outreach

Village Adoption Programme

Tribal Community Development Programme (TCDP): Since 2015, IASST has been promoting erisilk rearing in limited areas for tribal community (Bodo) women in two districts namely, Nagaon and Morigaon. During 2017-18, four production venture items namely erisilk rearing, mushroom cultivation, high-value black rice cultivation and vermicomposting have been continuing.

Students/Teachers Outreach Programme

IASST is regularly organizing science outreach events for school students & teachers as well as for research scholars & faculty members in addition to the outreach events for the general public. This includes:

• Talks by eminent scientists
• Science day
• Environmental day, Earth day, etc.
• Events on funding opportunities
• IASST foundation day events, etc.

Open Day

With the spirit of promoting science education and scientific research, IASST has started observing Institute’s Open Day explicitly on 9^th March of every year. On this day of the year 2009, IASST was adopted as an autonomous institute by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. The main objective of this day is to communicate the ongoing academic, research and outreach activities of IASST to the school and college students and to the common people on a larger scale. Groups of students from selected schools and colleges are invited and are given a tour through state-of-the-art laboratories so that they get thrilled and do instill the desire to step into the field of scientific research in the future. Representatives from villages adopted by IASST are also invited to take part in the event and are expected to go back with motivational messages to spread in their otherwise remote locality. Lively interaction amongst the entrepreneurs, scientists and students is another attraction of this event. To be precise, Open Day is planned as a part of IASST’s constant endeavour to translate and transmit its overall activities to society.

Science Day

IASST celebrates National Science Day on 28^th February to commemorate the same day of the year 1928 on which Sir C.V. Raman made the discovery of the Raman Effect earning him the prestigious Nobel Prize in 1938. Being a national level institute for promoting Science and Technology, this is one occasion when IASST invites renowned academicians, researchers and inventors to deliver popular lectures based on the respective year’s Science Day theme to a diverse audience comprising of high school and college students, teachers and the general public along with the IASST members. This is to ignite the young minds with scientific ideas and to spread awareness about the recent progress of science amongst the common mass. Along with this, budding inventors from Assam and nearby states are encouraged to promote their inventions in front of academia and industry by providing them with a platform on this special occasion.

IASST Exhibition Center and Exhibits Display

The Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST) has a well-equipped exhibition center. The IASST exhibition center has developed the facilities of digital photography and videography, State-of-the-art projection systems as display models for the research achievements and technologies of various R&D Divisions of the Institute. It is a fully air-conditioned center and has a limited seating arrangement with audio-visual facilities to screen the videos/lectures of the institute to the visitors coming from different schools, colleges, universities and other scientific organizations.  Besides these activities of the center, IASST also participates in numerous scientific exhibitions where these research models and videos are exhibited in different parts of India.

Source: Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), Guwahati