SKA-India Summer Training Program 2026

About the School

The SKA-India Training Program School is a premier event designed to develop foundational skills in radio astronomy for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students. This two-week-long school will feature lectures, hands-on sessions, and exposure to cutting-edge tools and techniques relevant to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project (SKAO), SKA India.

Participants will gain insights into radio instrumentation, observational techniques, data analysis techniques, AI/ML applications in astronomy, and more.

List of selected candidates

We are pleased to announce the list of selected participants for the SKA-India Summer Training Program 2026:

Topics covered

• Square Kilometer Array: The next-gen instrument for radio astronomy
• Electronics and devices for radio telescopes
• High-throughput real-time Signal processing
• High-performance computing and Big-data
• AI/ML Applications in Radio Astronomy
• Fundamental Concepts: Radiation Mechanisms and Radio Telescopes
• Fundamental Science cases: Pulsars, Cosmology, Galactic and Extragalactic Studies
• Observational and Data Analysis Techniques
• Hands-on: Building a radio telescope

Organizing Committee

• Pankaj Jain (IITK)
• Rohit Sharma (IITK)
• Mugundhan V. (IITK)
• Mohit Bhardwaj (IITK)
• Abhirup Datta (IITI)
• Narendra Nath Patra (IITI)
• Prasanta Kumar Das (BITS-Pilani-Goa)
• Surajit Paul (MAHE)
• Neeraj Gupta (IUCAA)
• Jagadheep D. Pandian (IIST)

Who can apply

Third year students pursuing BTech/B.E in Electronics and Communication Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science Engineering, or equivalent discipline. First year students pursuing M.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science Engineering, or equivalent discipline. First year students pursuing Master of Science in Physics, Electronics, or any equivalent discipline.

FAQs

• I am a first year PhD student. Can I apply? No. This school is meant for younger students who are early in their carrier.
• Can I get support for the school? Yes. Support for lodging and food to the participants will be provided.
• Is there any registration fee? No. There is no registrarion fee.
• How many students will be selected? The total number of participants is expected to be around 50.
• What are the selection criteria? Candidates will be selected based on their academic records, supported by a recommendation letter.

Partner Institutes

The SKA-India Training Program School 2026 is being organized in collaboration with several esteemed partner institutes.

• Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK)
• Indian Institute of Technology Indore (IITI)
• Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram (IIST)
• Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune (IUCAA)
• Birla Institute of Technology Pillani, Goa Campus (BITS Goa)
• Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal (MAHE)

Travel Logistics

A.) Arrival by air:

Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport (LKO), Lucknow is the nearest international airport and located about 90 Km. from IIT Kanpur. It has direct flight connection to all major cities of India.

Kanpur also has an airport (KNU) with limited flights. Ola/Uber cab service is available in Kanpur.

B.) Arrival by train:

Kanpur Central Railway station (CNB) is one of the busiest railway stations in the country. It is located on the Delhi-Kolkata train route.

• IIT Kanpur is located about 16 km from the Kanpur Central Railway Station.
• One can take the Kanpur Metro (fare: ₹40) or hire a taxi/auto rickshaw.

Kanpur Metro:

Metro services are operational between Kanpur Central and IIT Kanpur from 06:00 AM to 10:00 PM (IST) daily.

Arrival in IIT Kanpur campus:

• Reach the ‘main gate’ of IIT Kanpur. Tell security you are visiting SPASE.
• The Department of SPASE is located at the 6^th floor of ESB-2 building.