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Doctoral Programmes

About

Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology (Digital University Kerala- DUK) doctoral programs offer a wide range of research topics that strive for excellence while creating meaningful changes to the digital society. The programs are tailored taking into account the needs of industry and aims to address real-world problems of today and future. If you have a passion and curiosity to unravel the mysteries of the changing digital world, we welcome you to join this program with open minds to become change leaders, innovators, scientists and leading thinkers of tomorrow. We offer both regular, and flexible modes of study that are designed keeping in mind the developmental needs of both experienced as well as young graduates.

DUK is looking for bright and dedicated scholars interested in research to join us as PhD scholars. Currently, we offer PhD programmes in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Digital Sciences, Informatics and Digital Humanities.

Prospective students satisfying the eligibility criteria are encouraged to acquaint themselves with the research areas of our faculty members for suitable match of interest. DUK offers PhD scholarships and reduced fees for highly qualified students wishing to start on a direct doctoral programme after M.Tech/MSc/MCA/MA/MBA through the regular full-time PhD programs. DUK offers an attractive program for professionals with experience to carry out their doctoral studies while working in an industry or academic institutions through the industry regular or part-time PhD programs.

Qualifications and program duration

School	Faculty	Qualification required	Duration
School of Computer Science & Engineering	Engineering	MTech	36-72 months (Full-time) 48-72 months(Part-time)
School of Computer Science & Engineering	Technology	MSc / MCA/ MTech	36-72 months (Full-time) 48-72 months (Part-time)
School of Electronic Systems and Automation	Engineering	MTech	36-72 months (Full-time) 48-72 months (Part-time)
School of Electronic Systems and Automation	Technology	MSc/MTech	36-72 months (Full-time) 48-72 months (Part-time)
School of Digital Sciences	Technology	MSc / MCA/ MTech	36-72 months (Full-time) 48-72 months (Part-time)
School of Digital Sciences	Science	MSc	36-72 months (Full-time) 48-72 months (Part-time)
School of Informatics	Science	MSc	36-72 months (Full-time) 48-72 months(Part-time)
School of Digital Humanities and Liberal Arts (Not offered in the current call- May 2021)	Social Sciences / Humanities	MA / MCom/ MBA	36-72 months (Full-time) 48-72 months(Part-time)
	Technology	MSc/MCA/MTech	36-72 months (Full-time) 48-72 months(Part-time)

RESEARCH AREAS AND SCHOOL THEMES

School	Indicative Areas	PhD degree	Approx. Vacancies
School of Computer Science & Engineering (SoCSE)	Theoretical Computer Science: Algorithms, Automated Theorem Proving, Computational Complexity, Cryptography, Formal Methods, Game Theory, Graph Theory, Mathematics for Computer Science, Optimization, Quantum Computing. Computational Intelligence: Cognitive Computing, Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing. Systems & Networks: Computer Architecture, Cyber Physical Systems, Networked Systems, Security, Privacy and Trust, System Software (Operating Systems, Compiler Design), Software Engineering, Data Engineering(Database Systems, Big Data, Blockchain), Ubiquitous Computing.	Engineering, Technology	17
School of Electronic Systems and Automation (SoE)	AI Hardware: VLSI, Edge AI, Neuromorphic systems, Embedded SoC, Intelligent sensors, Filter designs, Imaging hardware, Deep learning chips AI Robotics: Co-robotics, Drone design, IOT, NLP and conversational AI, Image processing, Data fusion applied to robotics Signal Processing and Automation: Industry 4.0, Control Systems, Signal Processing, Computer Vision, Sensor systems, Power systems, Electric Vehicles Computational Imaging System: Medical Imaging, Sparse Signal Processing, Image processing, Signal Processing, Medical Image Fusion	Engineering	9
School of Digital Humanities and Liberal Arts (DiHLA)	Business Intelligence, Business Policy Computational Economics, Computational Finance, Computational Social Science, Computational Linguistics/ Forensic Linguistics, Crowdsourcing Analytics Design Thinking and Innovation, Digital Economy, Digital Humanities, Digital and distributed Journalism, Digital Media Design, Digital Pedagogy Econometrics, e-Democracy, e-Governance, Educational Technology Internet studies/ Social Science of the Internet, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Management Sciences, Social Analytics, Social Media and Public Order Management, Technology Governance and Management	Social Science/ Technology (Admissions to the School of DiHLA will be notified only after Feb 2022)	NA
School of Digital Sciences	Financial Analytics & Digital Economics, Biocomputing & Drug Design Natural Sciences, Nature Inspired Computing Computational Epidemiology, Chaos & Non-conventional Energy Geosciences, Agri Sciences, Health, Media & Social Media Technology Innovation, Neural and Cognitive sciences, Computational Genomics & Molecular Medicine, Traditional knowledge protection	Technology, Science	3
School of Informatics	Ecological Physics Earth Observation Sustainable Development Traditional Ecological Knowledge Floral Radiometry Acoustic Ecology	Science	1

PROGRAM TYPES

The current call (May 2022) for the PhD program is only to Faculty of Science/Engineering/Technology in the Schools of Computer Science & Engineering, Electronics and Automation, Digital Sciences and Informatics. Please check eligibility qualifications for Faculty of Science/Engineering/Technology before applying.

Program type	Remarks	Entry requirement
Full-time Regular PhD	This is a full-time program where the candidate is expected to undertake PhD Program after 6 years (4 years bachelors + 2 years Masters) of study for Engineering PhD OR 5 years (3 years bachelors + 2 years Masters) of study for Science/ Technology/ Social Sciences PhD. Work location is a research lab in the university.	MSc/MCA/MTech/MBA/MA/MCom in relevant discipline.
Industry Regular PhD	The candidate is expected to work full-time in the University or industry research lab approved by the university. The workplace proposed by the candidate for research work will be evaluated and need to be approved as the research lab by the PhD selection committee.	MSc/MCA/MTech/MBA/MA/MCom in relevant discipline. The applicant is required to have at least 5 years of relevant full time work experience after graduation at an officer / executive level.
Part-time Regular PhD	This is a part-time program where the candidate is expected to work with a faculty member remotely while in a full-time employment.	MSc/MCA/MTech/MBA/MA/MCom in relevant discipline. The applicant is required to have at least 5 years of relevant full time work experience after postgraduation at an officer / executive/teaching/ Industry level.

The applicants are shortlisted based on the DRAT exam score or valid GATE score. Those who have cleared CUSAT DAT and who have applied for PhD in IIITM-K are also exempted from the DRAT. Those who have qualified NET/JRF or any other national fellowship exams approved by UGC in relevant disciplines are exempted from DRAT exam. Appropriate relaxations in cut-off are applicable for OBC/SC/ST candidates.
Statement of purpose shall be additionally required to be submitted for industry regular and part-time applicants. Appropriate weightage will be given for work experience in the case of industry regular and part-time PhD applicants.
UGC norms on reservation for SC/ST seats will be followed.
A mentor needs to be identified by the candidate preferably from the same organisation where the applicant is working. In case the candidate is unable to find a mentor from within the organization, a suitable person from the same domain/industry can be considered. Any such decision will be at the discretion of the Selection Committee. PhD qualification is not mandatory for the mentor as they will be only acting as a coordinator. Those with a PhD will be considered for research supervisory activities of the candidate subject to the evaluation and decision of the competent authority within the University.

PROGRAM PROGRESSION

Program type	Coursework component	Research component
Full-time Regular PhD	Year 1 (Semester 1):10-15 Credits. Year 1 (Semester 2): 0-05 Credits. Year 2 (Semester 1): 0-05 Credits. Year 2 (Semester 2) and further: None Comprehensive exam: 15 credits (to be completed within 2 years)	Research Credits: 150 (maximum research credits per semester is limited to 30) Dissertation: 120 credits
Industry Regular PhD	Year 1 (Semester 1):10-15 Credits. Year 1 (Semester 2): 0-05 Credits. Year 2 (Semester 1): 0-05 Credits. Year 2 (Semester 2) and further: None Comprehensive exam: 15 credits (to be completed within 2 years) The students are required to undergo an in-campus residential full time research Internship Program of minimum 45 normal working days.	Research Credits: 150 (maximum research credits per semester is limited to 30) Dissertation: 120 credits
Part-time Regular PhD	Year 1 (Semester 1):10-15 Credits. Year 1 (Semester 2): 0-05 Credits. Year 2 (Semester 1): 0-05 Credits. Year 2 (Semester 2) and further: None Comprehensive exam: 15 credits (to be completed within 2 years) The students are required to undergo an in-campus residential full time research Internship Program of minimum 45 normal working days. Every year the student completes a mandatory 15 continuous working days of full time residential program.	Research Credits: 150 (maximum research credits per semester is limited to 30) Dissertation: 120 credits

Total Credits for the PhD program will be 300.
All PhD students will have following mandatory PhD level courses to be completed within the first 2 years of their doctoral study: ◦ Research Methods and Ethics 3 credits
◦ Technical Writing 1 credits
◦ Pedagogy Design 2 credits
◦ Design Thinking and Translational Research 2 credits
Remaining credit requirements for coursework shall be decided by the student in consultation with the doctoral committee.
Part-time PhD students can complete up to 15 credits during their mandatory on-campus visits.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Program type	Requirements
Full-time Regular PhD	1. This is a full-time program with students having Masters or equivalent degrees. A total of 6 years of study 4 years bachelors and 2 years of masters is required to be eligible for a PhD in Engineering disciplines (Faculty of Engineering). While for non-engineering disciplines (Faculty of Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Faculty of Technology) a minimum of 5 years of study including bachelors and masters are required. The candidates who have completed a 6 years of study including a bachelor and Masters are eligible to be considered in any faculty, provided they meet the school specific admission requirements. 2. The applicants are shortlisted based on the DRAT score (with minimum cut off of 60 percentile) or valid GATE score (with minimum cut off of 80 percentile). Those who have qualified NET/JRF or any other national fellowship exams approved by UGC in relevant disciplines are exempted from DRAT exam. Appropriate relaxations in cut-off are applicable for OBC/SC/ST candidates. 3. Composite score of 80% for DRAT or equivalent, and 20% for educational qualification is used for shortlisting the applicants. Final selection of the shortlisted candidates to the program is done through an interview with the graduate admission committees within the individual schools, and must be approved by the academic council.
Industry Regular PhD	1. This is a full-time program with students having Masters or equivalent degrees. A total of 6 years of study consisting of 4 years bachelors and 2 years of masters are required to be eligible for a PhD in Engineering disciplines (Faculty of Engineering). While for non-engineering disciplines (Faculty of Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Faculty of Technology) a minimum of 5 years of study including bachelors and masters are required. The candidates who have completed a 6 years of study including a bachelor and Masters are eligible to be considered in any faculty, provided they meet the school specific admission requirements. 2. The applicants are shortlisted based on a composite score calculated based on performance in DRAT/GATE or NET/JRF or any other national fellowship exams approved by UGC in various disciplines, as well as their educational qualifications, work experience and statement of purpose. The DRAT score will be considered valid only if the candidate scores above 60 percentile. Only the valid GATE above 80 percentile is considered valid for computing the composite score. For candidates who score below the minimum or who do not possess any such scores in the above exams, the admission test score component of the composite score will be treated as zero. 3. The applicant is required to have at least 5 years of relevant full time work experience after postgraduation at an officer / executive/Industry level. 4. The applicant must be a full-time employee of the industry at the time of admission. 5. Composite score of 30% for work experience, 20% for DRAT or equivalent, 20% for statement of purpose, 10% for recommendation letters and 20% for educational qualification is used for shortlisting the applicants. Final selection of the shortlisted candidates to the program is done through an interview with the graduate admission committees within the individual schools, and must be approved by the academic council.
Part-time Regular PhD	1. This is a Part-time program with students having Masters or equivalent degrees. A total of 6 years of study consisting of 4 years bachelors and 2 years of masters are required to be eligible for a PhD in Engineering disciplines (Faculty of Engineering). While for non-engineering disciplines (Faculty of Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Faculty of Technology) a minimum of 5 years of study including bachelors and masters are required. The candidates who have completed a 6 years of study including a bachelor and Masters are eligible to be considered in any faculty, provided they meet the school specific admission requirements. 2. The applicant is required to have at least 5 years of relevant full time work experience after postgraduation at an officer / executive/teaching/Industry level. 3. The applicants are shortlisted based on a composite score calculated based on performance in DRAT/GATE or NET/JRF or any other national fellowship exams approved by UGC in various disciplines, as well as their educational qualifications, work experience and research proposal. The DRAT score will be considered valid only if the candidate scores above 60 percentile. Only the GATE score above 80 percentile is considered valid for computing the composite score. For candidates who score below the minimum or who do not possess any such scores in the above exams, the admission test score component of the composite score will be treated as zero. 4. Composite score of 30% for work experience, 20% for DRAT or equivalent, 20% for statement of purpose, 10% for recommendation letters and 20% for educational qualification is used for shortlisting the applicants. Final selection of the shortlisted candidates to the program is done through an interview with the graduate admission committees within the individual schools, and must be approved by the academic council.

The applicants will be shortlisted based on the DRAT exam score or GATE exam. Those who have qualified NET/JRF or any other national fellowship exams approved by UGC in relevant disciplines shall be exempted from DRAT exam. Appropriate relaxations in cut-off shall be applicable for OBC/SC/ST candidates.
For the admission to the Regular PhD program, applicants who have already been awarded scholarships like UGC-JRF, CSIR-JRF, DBT-JRF or other national or international scholarships will be given preference.

SCHOLARSHIP AND FEES

Fellowships for PhD/Postdoc Electronics Engineering

IICG Fellows: You are eligible to apply for a fellowship in Graphene and 2D materials as part of the IICG project. If selected for this internship, you are expected to work on a three-year research project involving the use of Graphene for electronics engineering applications. PhD students will receive a monthly fellowship of Rs 35,000 for carrying out a research project, while post-docs will receive a monthly fellowship equivalent to project scientist I/II/III levels. The application for Post-doc will be open throughout the year, while PhD student positions are available to those who get admitted to the program, and who would clear an internship test and interview. (Number of positions are subject to availability of supervisors and funds, about 5-10 vacancies expected)

Program type	University Scholarship**	Tuition Fees*
Full-time Regular PhD	Rs 20,000 per month for the first year Rs 25,000 per month for second year and Rs 30,000 per month for third year No scholarship from year 4 onwards.	No tuition fee (Year 1-5) 50% Fee concession (Year 6) Re-registration with full fee is required from Year 7 onwards)
Industry Regular PhD	No scholarship	Rs 50,000 per year
Part-time Regular PhD	No scholarship	Rs 50,000 per year

* On campus accommodation is charged additionally if availed. Additional fees such as caution deposit, lab fee, student amenities charges, admission fee, etc. will be charged.
**This scholarship is provided to the PhD student who does not have any other external fellowships such as JRF or GATE or project assistantships. The scholarship provided by the University will be disbursed only after the scholarship scheme gets approved by Competent Authorities of the Digital University. The University scholarship (after necessary approvals) will be provided to students upon successful completion of a comprehensive exam.
All students who are receiving University Scholarship are expected to contribute to academic activities of the University
An application fee of Rs 10,000/- and a refundable caution deposit of Rs 5,000/- need to be paid initially by all selected candidates after publishing of result to block their seats for the PhD program.

Digital University Research Aptitude Test

Digital University Research Aptitude Test (DRAT): Online Applications are twice in a year from eligible candidates for the DRAT for determining eligibility for admission to PhD. Programme. The validity of the DRAT is for two years and list of shortlisted candidates will be published in the website.
DRAT exam will consist of questions on English (30), Mathematics (30), subjects specific to the school (40).
The final selection shall be through school-wise written tests and/or personal interview and/ or presentations as decided by the School from time to time. The selection of the candidate is the responsibility of the schools, subject to the instructions or amendments of the University from time to time. Selection of the candidate will be provisional until the final approval by the University.
Applications submitted for seeking admission in a particular school cannot be transferred to any other school. If a candidate wishes to apply for admission in more than one school, he/she shall submit separate applications.

DRAT Syllabus

A CAMPUS WITHOUT PRECEDENT

About Digital University Kerala

Innovation thrives on rigorous thinking, creative ideas, a vibrant environment and a bit of the unexpected. The diverse people of Digital University Kerala embody this inspiring and dynamic mix and are driven by the desire to help spark the next great tech revolution.

We at Digital University Kerala catalyzes technical advances that promote societal welfare and address systematically unfulfilled needs.