IIM Bangalore welcomes 29 students to its PhD Programme and nine fellows to the N.S. Ramaswamy Pre-doctoral Fellowship
Event included Director’s Merit List award distribution
08 June 2026, Bengaluru: IIM Bangalore formally welcomed the incoming cohorts of its PhD and Pre-doctoral Fellowship Programmes for the academic year through an inauguration ceremony. Prof. Tarun Jain, Chairperson, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), hosted the inaugural session while welcoming students to the new batch of the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and N. S Ramaswamy Pre-Doctoral Fellowship (NSR-Pre Doc) programme of the institute.
Welcoming the students, Prof. Anil Suraj, Chairperson, N.S. Ramaswamy Pre-doctoral Fellowship (NSR Pre-doc) highlighted the distinctive role of the institute in preparing aspiring researchers for doctoral studies. He noted that the programme has completed eight cohorts and has produced a strong pipeline of researchers, with more than 70 fellows having completed the programme and over 47 pursuing PhDs across India and internationally. He emphasized that doctoral and pre-doctoral education is highly individualized and thrives on meaningful interactions between students, faculty members, mentors, and peers.
Encouraging students to make the most of their time on campus and balance academic rigor with intellectual exploration, he advised scholars to identify areas of focus early in their journey. He urged them to take advantage of the Institute’s Library, which offers extensive academic resources and supports a vibrant research ecosystem.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Mukta Kulkarni, Dean, Programmes, shared three key principles for success in doctoral education: maintaining timelines and timeliness, embracing interdisciplinary learning, and avoiding intellectual isolation by surrounding oneself with people who encourage learning and growth. She encouraged students to engage with perspectives beyond their chosen disciplines, emphasizing that meaningful research often emerges at the intersection of different fields of knowledge.
In his inaugural address, Prof. Dinesh Kumar, Director-in-charge, IIM Bangalore, congratulated the incoming PhD scholars, Pre-doctoral Fellows, and recipients of academic awards. Drawing from a Zen parable, he encouraged students to approach research with intellectual humility and openness, reminding them that impactful research begins with the willingness to question assumptions and continuously learn. He emphasized that the true measure of research lies not merely in publications but in the impact, it creates for academia, industry, policy, and society.
Prof. Dinesh also encouraged students to leverage IIM Bangalore’s strong research culture and seek guidance from faculty members whenever they encounter challenges in their academic journey. He noted that the Institute provides an enabling environment for research and innovation, supported by accomplished faculty, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a vibrant scholarly community.
Batch Profile PhD & NSR Pre-doc
The new Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) cohort comprises 29 scholars, with 18 male and 11 female students from diverse academic and professional backgrounds. The new PhD cohort is diverse, with the highest number of candidates opting for the Strategy and Decision Sciences areas (four students in each area). Representing 29 cities and 13 states across the country, the cohort has an average age of 28 years and an average work experience of 3.3 years. At the bachelor's level, 40% of the students have degrees in engineering, while 33% come from economics, followed by mathematics, pure sciences, business, and social sciences. Nearly 87% of the cohort holds master's degrees, while around 71% bring experience from the private sector, particularly in Information Technology, technology services, and consulting.
The ninth cohort of the N.S. Ramaswamy Pre-doctoral Fellowship for 2026–27 comprises nine students across eight areas of specialization. The Fellows will pursue their studies in areas such as Decision Sciences, OB&HRM, Economics, Information Systems, Finance & Accounting, Public Policy, Strategy, and Marketing. The group represents nine cities across six states and reflects academic diversity spanning commerce, humanities, social sciences, and sciences. The cohort has an average age of 24 years, with the highest work experience being 3.8 years, and 37% of the fellows come from the private sector.
Director’s Merit List Awards
The event also included the felicitation of Director’s Merit List (DML) awardees. Anirban Sengupta of the OBHRM area from the 2025 batch and Teena Maria Jose of the Economics area from the 2024 batch are the DML award winners.
In addition, the event recognized important academic milestones achieved by continuing doctoral scholars during the previous academic year. Students who completed comprehensive examinations, defended their thesis proposals, defended their doctoral dissertations, and completed the Pre-doctoral Fellowship Programme were acknowledged for their accomplishments.
Click here for photo gallery
IIM Bangalore welcomes 29 students to its PhD Programme and nine fellows to the N.S. Ramaswamy Pre-doctoral Fellowship
Event included Director’s Merit List award distribution
08 June 2026, Bengaluru: IIM Bangalore formally welcomed the incoming cohorts of its PhD and Pre-doctoral Fellowship Programmes for the academic year through an inauguration ceremony. Prof. Tarun Jain, Chairperson, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), hosted the inaugural session while welcoming students to the new batch of the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and N. S Ramaswamy Pre-Doctoral Fellowship (NSR-Pre Doc) programme of the institute.
Welcoming the students, Prof. Anil Suraj, Chairperson, N.S. Ramaswamy Pre-doctoral Fellowship (NSR Pre-doc) highlighted the distinctive role of the institute in preparing aspiring researchers for doctoral studies. He noted that the programme has completed eight cohorts and has produced a strong pipeline of researchers, with more than 70 fellows having completed the programme and over 47 pursuing PhDs across India and internationally. He emphasized that doctoral and pre-doctoral education is highly individualized and thrives on meaningful interactions between students, faculty members, mentors, and peers.
Encouraging students to make the most of their time on campus and balance academic rigor with intellectual exploration, he advised scholars to identify areas of focus early in their journey. He urged them to take advantage of the Institute’s Library, which offers extensive academic resources and supports a vibrant research ecosystem.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Mukta Kulkarni, Dean, Programmes, shared three key principles for success in doctoral education: maintaining timelines and timeliness, embracing interdisciplinary learning, and avoiding intellectual isolation by surrounding oneself with people who encourage learning and growth. She encouraged students to engage with perspectives beyond their chosen disciplines, emphasizing that meaningful research often emerges at the intersection of different fields of knowledge.
In his inaugural address, Prof. Dinesh Kumar, Director-in-charge, IIM Bangalore, congratulated the incoming PhD scholars, Pre-doctoral Fellows, and recipients of academic awards. Drawing from a Zen parable, he encouraged students to approach research with intellectual humility and openness, reminding them that impactful research begins with the willingness to question assumptions and continuously learn. He emphasized that the true measure of research lies not merely in publications but in the impact, it creates for academia, industry, policy, and society.
Prof. Dinesh also encouraged students to leverage IIM Bangalore’s strong research culture and seek guidance from faculty members whenever they encounter challenges in their academic journey. He noted that the Institute provides an enabling environment for research and innovation, supported by accomplished faculty, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a vibrant scholarly community.
Batch Profile PhD & NSR Pre-doc
The new Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) cohort comprises 29 scholars, with 18 male and 11 female students from diverse academic and professional backgrounds. The new PhD cohort is diverse, with the highest number of candidates opting for the Strategy and Decision Sciences areas (four students in each area). Representing 29 cities and 13 states across the country, the cohort has an average age of 28 years and an average work experience of 3.3 years. At the bachelor's level, 40% of the students have degrees in engineering, while 33% come from economics, followed by mathematics, pure sciences, business, and social sciences. Nearly 87% of the cohort holds master's degrees, while around 71% bring experience from the private sector, particularly in Information Technology, technology services, and consulting.
The ninth cohort of the N.S. Ramaswamy Pre-doctoral Fellowship for 2026–27 comprises nine students across eight areas of specialization. The Fellows will pursue their studies in areas such as Decision Sciences, OB&HRM, Economics, Information Systems, Finance & Accounting, Public Policy, Strategy, and Marketing. The group represents nine cities across six states and reflects academic diversity spanning commerce, humanities, social sciences, and sciences. The cohort has an average age of 24 years, with the highest work experience being 3.8 years, and 37% of the fellows come from the private sector.
Director’s Merit List Awards
The event also included the felicitation of Director’s Merit List (DML) awardees. Anirban Sengupta of the OBHRM area from the 2025 batch and Teena Maria Jose of the Economics area from the 2024 batch are the DML award winners.
In addition, the event recognized important academic milestones achieved by continuing doctoral scholars during the previous academic year. Students who completed comprehensive examinations, defended their thesis proposals, defended their doctoral dissertations, and completed the Pre-doctoral Fellowship Programme were acknowledged for their accomplishments.
Click here for photo gallery