IPR Syllabus & Exam Pattern 2026: Scientific Officer & Technician Screening Scheme

Candidates preparing for scientific and engineering recruitments at the Institute for Plasma Research (IPR) must master both rigorous discipline fundamentals and the DAE examination structure. As an autonomous flagship research institute under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), IPR recruits Scientific Officers / Engineer 'SC', Scientific Assistants, and Technicians through screening tests, GATE scorecards, and in-depth technical viva-voce examinations. For active notifications and application links, visit the IPR Recruitment 2026 Hub.

IPR Selection & Examination Architecture 2026

The recruitment methodology at IPR varies depending on the technical cadre and grade level:

Discipline-Specific Syllabus for Scientific Officers & Engineers

1. Physics & Applied Plasma Physics

• Classical & Quantum Mechanics: Lagrangian & Hamiltonian formulations, central force problem, Schrödinger equation, harmonic oscillator, hydrogen atom, perturbation theory.
• Electromagnetic Theory & Electrodynamics: Maxwell’s equations, gauge transformations, wave propagation in dielectric and plasma media, Poynting vector, radiation from accelerating charges.
• Thermodynamics & Statistical Physics: Microcanonical, canonical, and grand canonical ensembles, Maxwell-Boltzmann, Fermi-Dirac, and Bose-Einstein statistics, phase transitions.
• Plasma Physics Fundamentals: Debye shielding, plasma frequency, cyclotron motion, single-particle drifts ($E × B, gradient, curvature drifts), fluid equations of plasma, magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) equilibrium, plasma waves and instabilities.

2. Mechanical Engineering

• Thermal & Fluids Engineering: Thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, conduction, convection & radiation heat transfer, cryogenic heat exchangers, turbo-machinery, refrigeration cycles.
• Machine Design & Solid Mechanics: Stress analysis, finite element analysis (FEA), fracture mechanics, fatigue, pressure vessel design (ASME Section VIII) for ultra-high vacuum (UHV) systems.
• Manufacturing & Materials: Precision machining, vacuum brazing, TIG/MIG welding of austenitic stainless steel, non-destructive testing (NDT), helium mass spectrometer leak detection (MSLD).

3. Electrical & Power Electronics Engineering

• Power Systems & High Voltage: High voltage engineering (HVDC), insulation coordination, pulsed power systems, circuit breakers, protection relays, switchgear.
• Power Electronics: Switch-mode power converters, thyristor rectifiers, inverter topologies, high-current magnet power supplies (tens of kilo-amperes for superconducting coils).
• Electrical Machines & Control: Induction & synchronous machines, transformer design, feedback control loops, PLL, vector control.

4. Electronics & Instrumentation Engineering

• Sensors & Data Acquisition: High-speed optical detectors, Langmuir probes, magnetic pick-up coils, microwave interferometry, fast ADCs/DACs, PXI/PXIe architecture.
• Digital Systems & Embedded Control: FPGA programming (VHDL/Verilog), DSP controllers, microcontrollers, real-time Operating Systems (RTOS) for tokamak pulse timing.

Technician & Scientific Assistant Syllabus Pattern

For Scientific Assistant 'B' and Technician 'A' recruitments, the written tests assess diploma-level engineering or ITI trade fundamentals:

• Mathematics & General Science: 10th and 12th standard mathematics (algebra, calculus, trigonometry, coordinate geometry) and basic physics/chemistry.
• Trade Practical Theory: Workshop calculation, blueprint reading, engineering drawing, electrical wiring standards, safety regulations in high-radiation and high-voltage laboratories.