Does India have recruitment options for foreign nationals?

This is a common question asked by non-Indian academics interested in expanding their scientific, social and cultural horizons by establishing research labs or obtaining other scientific positions in India.

Here's a response from one of our speakers, Prof. K. VijayRaghavan, Director of the National Center for Biological Sciences (NCBS) which is a shining beacon amongst Indian research institutes:

"Some institutions explicitly solicit and welcome applicants of any nationality (NCBS, for example, does that) whereas others do not.  There is some 'back- end' bureaucracy which needs to get done for those who have non- Indian passports. This is not difficult to accomplish and we work with the new faculty member to make this happen. NCBS, for example, has just recruited Dominik Schwudke from the Max- Planck Institute of Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden.

 

I personally feel that Indian institutions should try to recruit the best, irrespective of nationality: This approach sets high demands on us [scientists in India] to develop an attractive scientific and social environment. A few institutions in India have indeed hired non- Indian citizens who are not of Indian origin, but the numbers are still very small."

In short: if they want you, it can happen.