MACS-ARI invites applications from Life Sciences, Biochemistry, Biotechnology candidates

MACS-Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) an autonomous Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, is committed to promoting science and technology with emphasis on high standards of research and development activities for the benefit of humankind and the nation. The current research activities encompass biological sciences and focus on six thematic areas Biodiversity & Palaeobiology, Bioenergy, Bioprospecting, Developmental Biology, Genetics & Plant Breeding and Nanobioscience.

MACS-ARI invites applications from eligible Indian Citizens, Scientists/Employees of Central/State Governments/Universities/Recognized Research Institutions/Public Sector Undertakings or other Government-funded organizations for filling up the following posts on a direct recruitment basis as per the details given below

Scientist- ‘C’ in Developmental Biology
SCALE OF PAY : Level-11 in the pay matrix Rs.67700-208700 plus allowances as admissible
TOTAL NO. OF VACANCIES : One (01) UR
NATURE OF POST : Permanent
PLACE OF WORK : Developmental Biology Group of ARI, Pune

Essential :
i) First Class M.Sc in Life Sciences, Biochemistry, Biotechnology or related fields or equivalent qualifications.
ii) Four years of research and development experience in the required areas, evidenced by publications in reputed journals after obtaining an academic degree.

Desirable :
i) Ph.D in areas of life science including Molecular biology, cell biology, and developmental biology or related areas. At least 3-5 years of post-doctoral experience in the areas of cell and developmental biology with experience in cell culture and model organism research to bridge ongoing research leading to focused growth; should have good publication record in reputed journals.
ii) Experience of working in a research laboratory after obtaining M.Sc.

Job Description : The incumbent is expected to initiate and develop independent projects in new and emerging frontiers of cell and developmental biology, organelle biology and diseases; secure extramural funding, enthuse, motivate and supervise research scholars, participate in teaching and training programs, contribute towards development and maintenance of Institutional infrastructure, facilitate and carry out various academic outreach and contribute to Institutional work as entrusted from time to time. The incumbent would be responsible for advancing research in cell and developmental biology, initiating new transnational areas of research, contributing to teaching and training of students and contributing to Institutional work as entrusted from time to time.

Age limit : The upper age limit for direct recruitment shall not exceed 40 years.

Scientist- ‘C’ Genetics & Plant Breeding Group
SCALE OF PAY : Level-11 in the pay matrix Rs.67700-208700 plus allowances as admissible
TOTAL NO. OF VACANCIES : One (01) UR
NATURE OF POST : Permanent
PLACE OF WORK : Genetics & Plant Breeding Group of ARI, Pune

Essential/Desirable Qualifications for Corresponding Discipline Essential:
i) First Class M.Sc in Agriculture with specialisation in Genetics and Plant Breeding or allied disciplines from a recognised university or Institute or equivalent qualifications.
ii) Four years of research and development experience in the required areas as evidenced by publications in journals of repute after obtaining an academic degree.

Desirable :
i) Doctoral degree in Genetics & Plant Breeding/ Plant Breeding/ Crop Improvement or allied disciplines from a recognised University or Institute.
ii) Proven Experience in crop breeding and genomics-assisted research.
iii) Hands-on experience with field experimentation, phenotyping, and data analysis.
iv) Demonstrated record of high-impact scientific publications and participation in the acquisition and execution of research projects.
v) Ability to work collaboratively in interdisciplinary research programs.
vi) Experience in a research laboratory after obtaining M.SC in the relevant field.

Job Description
The incumbent Scientist -C is expected to :
(i) Undertake breeding programme in wheat, soybean and grape for high yield, improved quality and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses.
(ii) Implement genomic-assisted breeding approaches, including GWAS, QTL mapping, SNP- based analyses and genomic selection (GS).
(iii) Develop, manage and evaluate bi-parental, multi-parent (MAGIC/NAAM) and RIL breeding populations. (iv) Conduct biofortification research and trait discovery for nutritional and quality-related traits.
(v) Plan, conduct and analyse multi-location and multi-season field trials.
(vi) Carry out germplasm characterisation, evaluation and core collection development.
(vii) Apply marker-assisted selection (MAS) and integrate molecular tools into breeding pipelines.
(viii) Perform plant phenotyping using morphological, physiological and biochemical methods.
(ix) Conduct quality analyses, including oil, protein, minerals, fatty acid compositions and volatile profiling.
(x) Contribute to seed production programmes and varietal release pipelines as per institutional and national guidelines.
(xi) Publish research outcomes in peer-reviewed journals with a high impact factor.
(xii) Prepare and submit research project proposals and secure extramural funding from national and international agencies.
(xiii) Assist in mentoring research scholars and contribute to departmental and institutional academic and other activities.

Age limit : The upper age limit for direct recruitment shall not exceed 40 years.

Age Limit
Note 1 : The upper age limit is relaxable in case of candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and other categories in accordance with the instructions or orders issued by the Central Government from time to time. Note 2 : Relaxable for Government servants and employees of Autonomous Research Organisations / Research Institutes/ Universities, etc., up to five years in accordance with the orders issued by the Central Government from time to time.
Note 3 : The crucial date for determining the age limit and eligibility shall be closing date for submission of application.

General Terms and Conditions
(i) The Institute reserves the right to cancel the recruitment without assigning any reason.
(ii) For applications a non-refundable application fee of Rs.500/- (except SC/ST and women candidates) to be paid online through onlinesbi.sbi/sbicollect/ (Educational Institutions-Category-Agharkar Research Institute-Payment Category-Others-Enter Payment details. Candidate should attach the receipt of online payment of fees and indicate the online receipt number in the application form. The Institute is not responsible for any incomplete/pending/failed transactions of online application fee payments and they may contact the concerned bank in this regard.
(iii) Candidates belonging to PwBD and SC/ST/OBC/EWS should submit a latest copy of Cast Certificate/Certificates and candidates who claim concession/ relaxation and other categories of candidates need to bring relevant certificates issued by the Competent Authority in the prescribed proforma applicable for reservation/concession of jobs under the Government of India including all the certificates supporting for having acquired their equivalent educational qualification at the time of closing date of submission of applications.
(iv) There will be a probation period of One year for Scientists C, which may be extended at the discretion of the Competent Authority.
(v) The pay and allowances & other benefits includes NPS, Medical reimbursement, LTC etc. are presently admissible as per rules of the Institute.
(vi) Candidates selected will be governed under NPS Rules.
(vii) Period spent on acquiring essential qualifications shall not count towards experience. However, period spent on obtaining a Doctorate degree from a recognised University or Institution, subject to a maximum of two years or period spent on Post Doctorate research in a University or research institute, as evidenced by certification by such University or Institute and publication of research work in journals of repute, subject to a maximum of two years, shall be counted as experience.
(viii) All educational, professional and technical qualifications should be from a recognized Board/ University.
(ix) The applicants are advised to visit the Institute's website www.aripune.res.in regularly. Any addendum/corrigendum or any update regarding the recruitment process shall be posted only on the Institute’s website.
(x) Candidates are advised in their own interest to submit online applications much before the closing date and not to wait till the last date to avoid the possibility of disconnection/ inability or failure to login to the portal on account of heavy load on the website during the closing days.

(xi) The prescribed essential qualifications are minimum, and the mere possession of the same does not entitle candidates to be called for interview. The consideration of qualifications as equivalent to the essential and desirable qualifications stated above shall be the discretion of the relevant committee constituted for scrutinizing the applications. If the number of applications received in response to advertisement is large, the Institute may restrict the number of candidates to be called for interview to a reasonable limit through a shortlisting process based on a well-defined criterion which may include possessing of desirable qualifications and / or experience more than that prescribed in the advertisement and/or qualifications/ experience in a particular field as per the specific requirement of the Department. A reserve panel of candidates in order of merit will be prepared from the candidates called for interview which will remain valid for a period of one year from the date of interview. The panel can be utilized to fill up vacancy arising as advertised as well as vacancy that might arise/ may have arisen subsequent to the date of publication of this advertisement due to any reason like retirement/resignation/death etc.
(xii) Details of SCI Journal publications: Candidates are expected to submit a list of journal publications along with copies of 4 best papers authored by them in the last 5 years chronologically listing: Names of authors, Title of the paper, Name of the Journal, Volume, Pages (From-to), Year, citation count, impact factor of the journal etc.
(xiii) Incomplete/partially filled application forms will not be considered.
(xiv) Any legal proceedings in respect of any matter of claim or dispute arising out of this advertisement and or an application in response thereto can be instituted only in Pune and courts at Pune only shall have sole and exclusive jurisdiction to try any such cause/dispute. (xv) No correspondence will be entertained from candidates who are not called for interview / selected for appointment. (xvi) Canvassing in any form will result in disqualification of candidature.
(xvii) Outstation candidates called for interview will be paid to and fro Two Tier AC rail fare by the shortest route.
(xviii) The selected candidates are liable to serve anywhere in India and abroad.
(xix) Only the candidates shortlisted for next stage of selection process will be informed by email regarding date, time and venue for selection process. The institute will not be responsible for any discrepancy in the contact details provided in the application form.
(xx) In case of any inadvertent mistake in the process of selection which is detected at any stage even after the issue of appointment letter, the Institute reserves the right to modify/cancel the appointment and withdraw any communication made to the candidates.
(xxi) All the correspondence will be made through Email only. Therefore, all the candidates are advised to provide correct Email address and regularly check their Emails and institute website for any updates.
(xxii) Please note that the Institute is neither any way responsible nor do to take any liability towards any candidate who does not receive the call letter or any other communication in the matter in time due to technical issues.
(xxiii) The last date for submission of the duly completed online application, along with all requisite enclosures, shall be 30 days from the date of publication of this advertisement in the ‘Employment News’.

How to Apply
1) Candidates fulfilling above conditions are required to fill and submit the applications through online mode as per link mentioned above using a valid email-Id. After filling the details the candidates need to submit the printout of his/her application and send it along with self- attested copies of qualifications, certificates, Passport size photograph, list of publications/patent etc. issued by competent authorities to the Director, Agharkar Research Institute, Gopal Ganesh Agarkar Road, Pune – 411 004, within 30 days from the date of publication of this advertisement in ‘Employment News’. The last date of receipt of applications from candidates in Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim, Ladakh Division of J & K State, Lahaul and Spiti District and Pangi Sub Division of Chamba District of Himachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Island and Lakshadweep will be within 45 days from the date of publication of this advertisement in Employment News.
2) The envelope should be superscribed as "Application for <Post Code>". Candidates must carefully go through the advertisement before filling the application form. It is the responsibility of the candidates to ensure that they follow the instructions while filling the application. Candidates must ensure to attach clear, legible certificates/documents while sending a hard copy of the application. Attaching illegible/incorrect certificates/documents may lead to rejection of the candidature.

(a) Note : Experience/employment certificates for work/research work must clearly indicate the date of joining, date of relieving and post held.
(b) Candidates working in Government Departments / Public Sector Undertakings / Autonomous Organisations should submit No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the competent authority of the organisation they are serving, in the format specified at Annexure-I. It is the responsibility of such candidates to ensure that they sent application through the proper channel or NOC from their Department/organization within time with the application form. If NOC is not uploaded with the application form, the same is required to be submitted at the time of interview.
(c) Copies of certificates in support of educational qualifications, date of birth, PwBD category, SC/ST/OBC/EWS and experience should be submitted with the application. Candidates will have to produce the original certificates as and when required.