Alumni Achievements

Major Student and Alumni Achievements

Overview:

Our graduates have secured prestigious fellowships and scholarships, including the Quad Fellowship, DAAD Fellowships, Marie Skłodowska-Curie doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships, the Boehringer Ingelheim Fellowship, the Yusuf Hamied Scholarship, an STFC Scholarship, and the International Khorana Fellowship. They are pursuing advanced research at globally renowned institutions such as MIT, the University of Cambridge, Cornell University, UCLA, Aalto University, TU Wien, the Technical University of Denmark, Technische Universität Dresden, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Aix-Marseille University, the University of Bristol, and Max Planck Institutes in Germany. Their accomplishments also include the Director’s and President’s Gold Medals, an iGEM Gold Medal, international competition honours, and recognition for exemplary leadership and service. These successes reflect the academic strength, research culture, mentorship, and global outlook of IISER Berhampur. We congratulate all the awardees and wish them continued success in their scientific and professional journeys.

A. Major Achievements of BS-MS Students and Alumni

1. Ritika Sethi - BS-MS 2018 batch; graduated in 2023. Director's Gold Medal awardee; awarded the Quad Fellowship in 2025. Currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA.

2. Zishanuddin Qazi - BS-MS 2020 batch; graduated in 2025. iGEM Gold Medal awardee; received Silver Honour in the International Astronomy and Astrophysics Competition in 2026. Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Marseille, France.

3. Tanishta Bhattacharya - BS-MS 2018 batch; graduated in 2023. President's Gold Medal awardee; awarded a Boehringer Ingelheim Fellowship. Currently pursuing a Ph.D. at a Max Planck Institute in Germany.

4. Reshma T. - BS-MS 2020 batch. Awarded a DAAD Fellowship. Pursuing a Ph.D. at Technische Universität Dresden, Germany.

5. Rourim Bhunia - BS-MS 2021 batch; Chemical Sciences. Awarded a DAAD Fellowship. Selected to pursue a Ph.D. at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany.

6. Dileep Paladugu - BS-MS 2017 batch; Chemical Sciences. Awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship. Pursuing a Ph.D. at the Technical University of Denmark.

7. Aditya Prasad Dash - BS-MS 2016 batch. Awarded a Physics Division Fellowship. Pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), USA.

8. Neehar - BS-MS 2018 batch. Awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Ph.D. Fellowship. Pursuing a Ph.D. at Aalto University, Finland.

9. Diksha Mittal - BS-MS 2019 batch. Awarded a Yusuf Hamied Scholarship. Pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge, UK.

10. Pratyush Mishra - BS-MS 2019 batch. Awarded a DAAD Fellowship in 2022 and the International Khorana Fellowship in 2023. Recognised through two prestigious international fellowship programmes.

11. Rahaman - BS-MS 2020 batch; graduate. Awarded a SCHADOC Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Fellowship. Pursuing a Ph.D. at Aix-Marseille University, France.

12. Sujata Nandi - BS-MS 2016 batch; graduate. Received the Exemplary Leadership and Service Award from the Graduate School Office of Inclusion and Student Engagement (OISE). Recognized at Cornell University, USA, for exemplary leadership and service.

13. Soumya Dafadar - BS-MS 2017 batch; graduate. Awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Ph.D. Fellowship. Pursuing a Ph.D. at Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien), Austria.

14. Samikshya Kar - BS-MS 2018 batch. Awarded a Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Scholarship. Pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Bristol, UK.

15. Yazhinimuthu C. M. - BS-MS 2020 batch, graduate. Currently pursuing a Ph.D. under Prof. Tobias Ritter at the Max Planck Institute for Kohlenforschung, Germany, Published as a joint second author in Nature in 2026.

16. Ms. Aiswarya Mahalik - BS-MS 2016 batch, graduate. Currently an Academy Trainee at Gopabandhu Academy of Administration; secured OPSC Rank 72.

B. Postdoctoral Fellowship Awarded to a Ph.D. Graduate

1. Dr. Srayee Mandal - Ph.D. in Chemical Sciences; awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship.

2. Dr. Subhajit Kar - Azrieli International Postdoctoral Fellowship, Bengurian University, Israel