Indian Institute of Science Education and Research IISER, Thiruvananthapuram

About Indian Institute of Science Education and Research IISER, Thiruvananthapuram

The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram (IISER TVM) is dedicated to scientific research and science education of international standards. Traditionally, teaching has been segregated from research in undergraduate science curricula in our country. The IISERs were established by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, to bridge this dichotomy. IISER TVM was founded in 2008. The institute aims to provide high quality education in modern science, integrating it with outstanding research at the undergraduate level itself, and to develop a spirit of enquiry cutting across disciplines. IISER TVM is an autonomous institution offering a five-year BS-MS programme in addition to iPh.D and Ph.D. programmes in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and inter-disciplinary areas.

IISER TVM operates at Vithura, 40 kilometres from Thiruvananthapuram city, at the foot of the Ponmudi hills. With rich greenery and a spectacular mountain backdrop, this eco-friendly campus enjoys a tranquil environment, ideal for the conduction of research and learning. Separate hostel accommodation is provided for nearly 1050 boys and girls in the permanent campus. The institute has a fully functional multi-cuisine mess that is supervised by a student committee.

The faculty are engaged in research in the frontier areas of basic sciences, with a high degree of autonomy and creativity. The institute hosts regular colloquia and lectures by distinguished academicians and scientists. Such events give students opportunities to meet and interact with world leaders in different scientific disciplines. The institute has developed various facilities to promote education with a research aptitude. These include virtual classrooms, a library, full-fledged laboratories, and a computer centre. The library has an extensive collection of books, monographs, and conference proceedings in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology, Computer Science, Humanities, and interdisciplinary areas of science. The library's electronic resources include bibliographic databases, full text databases, journals, archives, e-books, software, statistical packages, images, and digital maps.

The institute has state-of-the-art and well-equipped laboratory facilities in Chemistry, Physics, and Biology. The computer laboratory for undergraduate students has over 50 workstations. A Linux cluster of 120 Nodes is also available for teaching and research. Many courses are available on the electronic learning environment MOODLE. The campus is served by a 100 Mbps internet connection provided by the National Knowledge Network Project, soon to be upgraded to 1 Gbps.

The annual cultural festival "Ishya" and the student-run "Sopanam" magazine serve as forums for students to display and develop their artistic, literary, and creative talents. The cultural and science clubs of the institute organize various events throughout the academic year. Regular film screenings, sports and quitz competitions, and outreach programmes are also conducted. The institute offers ample opportunities for the holistic development of young scientists who, imbued with the spirit of scientific enquiry, will take up the mantle of scientific endeavour in the years to come.