Murty Science Fellowship

The Murty Science Fellowship (MSF) is the Trust’s flagship program, a high-autonomy award for exceptional early-career researchers of up to 5 Cr INR (~600,000 USD) per researcher over five years.

MSF is India’s first of its kind in aim, size, and focus on retaining top young scientists. Inspired by prestigious fellowships like MacArthur, HHMI, and Packard, MSF eliminates administrative overheads and provides complete freedom to pursue globally competitive research in India. 

At the Murty Trust, we believe that science serves society’s greatest needs, and that scientists are invaluable assets driving discovery and innovation.

Introducing the
MSF 2025 Cohort

We are proud to introduce our inaugural Murty Science Fellows: four outstanding early-career scientists hosted by India’s premier academic institutions, bringing world-class expertise home to solve fundamental questions.

For future cohorts, nominations must come directly from the host institute. Self-nominations are not accepted. Nominations will be reviewed by an eminent panel of scientists.

Murty Science Fellows 2025

Aavishkar Patel

Taming Randomness in Quantum Matter
PhD: Harvard University
Host Institute: International Centre for Theoretical Sciences - TIFR

Abhilasha Joshi

Rhythm of Thought and Motion
PhD: University of Oxford
Host Institute: National Centre for Biological Sciences - TIFR

Mohan Swaminathan

Rigidity, Flexibility, and the Spaces Between
PhD: Princeton University
Host Institute: Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR)