The Full-Time PhD entails coursework, teaching, and dissertation. Scholars are required to reside on campus (during term time) for the entire duration of the programme.
The Part-time programme or the Faculty Improvement Programme (FIP) is designed for professionals looking to further their research interests while also enhancing career prospects. Scholars opting for this category are required to stay on campus for the first term of the programme and visit campus as and when required, based on suggestions from the advisor and the Doctoral Committee (DC).
Since its inception, Krea has focused on building an institution with exceptional research calibre. The PhD programme is, therefore, designed to be a holistic research experience that places equal importance on learning within and outside the classroom. Alongside rigorous coursework and support for writing the dissertation, PhD scholars at Krea will have access to cutting-edge research infrastructure and the requisite training to utilise these resources. The research governance and support structures at Krea are conducive to academic endeavours such as attending and hosting conferences, workshops, and thematic meetings. Furthermore, the programme creates avenues for collaborative, multidisciplinary research through Guest Lectures, cross-faculty consultation, and open-question seminars.
The PhD experience is envisioned to align with Krea University’s mission to help humanity prepare for an unpredictable world. It is an experiential programme that encourages scholars to constantly engage with the world around them.
Krea is a budding research institute that has already made strides in the short period of its existence and we see the doctoral programme as a natural progression in this journey. Counting on the strengths of our acclaimed faculty and upcoming high-end research facilities, we are confident that our PhD scholars will make significant contributions to further the horizons of knowledge in various disciplines.
We take this opportunity to invite PhD aspirants to apply for the Doctoral Programme at Krea University for the Academic Year 2026-2027.
The PhD programme at Krea is designed to strengthen the creativity and scholarship of research scholars who are expected to engage in deep and impactful research. The programme takes a holistic approach, strengthening foundational knowledge through coursework and encouraging critical thinking to produce original scholarship during the course of the doctoral programme. The faculty members of Krea come from diverse research backgrounds, thereby giving scholars access to mentorship across breadth of disciplines and areas of interest. Combined with state-of-the-art facilities including a fully equipped library, laboratories, and research centres, the graduate experience at Krea will produce scholars who contribute to humanity through academia, research, and industry.
Organic Chemistry
Organic synthesis, Electrosynthesis, Photochemical Synthesis, Electro-photochemical Synthesis, Electrocatalysis
Computational Chemistry
Modelling Weak Interactions, Molecular Confinement, Nanoscale Systems, Protein-Ligand Interaction, Reaction Mechanisms
Molecular Spectroscopy
Molecular Photophysics, Time-resolved spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and Microscopy
Inorganic Chemistry
Inorganic Materials synthesis and Characterization, Nanomaterial synthesis, Heterogeneous catalysis, thermocatalysis and electrocatalysis using inorganic and nanomaterial composites
Algorithms and Complexity:
Approximation Algorithms and Parameterized Algorithms
Computational Logic, Formal Methods and Programming Languages:
Application of formal methods and artificial intelligence to software systems and cyber-physical systems, Logic and foundations of Computer Science, Programming Language Semantics, Verification and Formalisation of Proofs
Quantum Computation:
Quantum Algorithms and Quantum Information Theory.
Atmospheric and Climate Sciences:
Aerosol-monsoon interactions, Monsoon projections, Middle atmospheric dynamics, Thermosphere-Ionosphere coupling
Space Physics and Aeronomy:
Thermosphere-Ionosphere coupling, Ionospheric studies, Space weather
Remote Sensing:
Optical cameras and spectrometers for atmospheric studies, Radar signal processing, Satellite data fusion
Political Ecology
Social-Ecological Systems
Conserving biodiversity in peopled landscapes
Natural Resource Governance
Climate policy:
Climate responsibility and finance, Climate performance
Sustainability Science:
Planetary boundaries and human development
Sustainability Policy:
Global sustainable transitions, Energy transition on a finite planet
Research Areas: Early Modern, Modern and Contemporary South Asia
Specialisations: Transport History, Military History, Colonial state and archives
Research Areas: Premodern South Asia
Specialisations: Medieval and Early Modern history, Early India, Regional History and Area Studies, Comparative Literature, Religious Traditions and Identities, Indian Ocean and Maritime networks, Money and Exchange, Textual Traditions and Literary studies, Intellectual History
Research Areas: Art and Material History
Specialisations: Architectural History, Material and Visual Culture
Research Areas: World History
Specialisations: Medieval Europe, West Asia and the Mediterranean, Sassanians and Byzantines, Frontiers and Empires, Textual and Numismatic studies
Research Areas: Indian Medieval History and History of Science in India
Algebra, Combinatorics, and Representation Theory
Specialisations: Group Cohomology, Homological Algebra, Noncommutative Ring Theory,
Algebraic and Topological Combinatorics, Number Theory, Representation Theory of Algebraic
Groups and Lie Algebras.
Applied Mathematics and Analysis of Partial Differential Equations
Specialisations: Fluid Dynamics, Spectral Theory, Theory of Homogenization, Regularity Theory
of PDEs, Calculus of Variations.
Topology and Geometry
Specialisations: Combinatorial Group Theory, Geometric Group Theory, Hyperbolic Geometry,
Low-Dimensional Topology, Mapping Class Groups, Teichmüller Theory.
Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (Theory and NV-Centre-based experimental studies)
Specializations: Quantum Computing, Quantum Sensing / Magnetometry, quantum cavity arrays, quantum phase transitions, and statistical physics, superconducting qubits
Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science
Specializations: Strongly correlated electronic systems, low dimensional and geometrically frustrated magnets, Materials discovery under extreme conditions (High Pressure & High Temperature), Biological molecules under pressure, Spectroscopy (Raman and Solid state NMR/NQR down to 4 K), superconductivity
Particle and Astroparticle Physics
Specializations: Neutrino physics and astrophysics, Beyond Standard Model (BSM) physics, dark matter and dark energy
Major Research Areas and Sub-Fields
The discipline’s research and teaching span the full breadth of contemporary political inquiry.Our work is empirically grounded, conceptually rigorous, and attentive to the layered texturesof politics in India, the Global South, and the wider world.
Methods: Qualitative, Quantitative, Field based, Experimental, Computational, Psychophysical, and Neuroimaging methods or any combinations thereof.
Our specializations and interest areas cut across Economic,Political, Environmental, Sociology and Anthropology, Gender Studies, Science andTechnology Studies (STS), Media Studies, Cultural Studies, Urban Studies and AgrarianStudies. We work at the intersections with other disciplines, including gender, history,economics, political science and environmental and urban studies. We offer a mix of thematic as well as regional and transnational opportunities and theteaching in the department is grounded in a strong tradition of fieldwork-based research.The department has faculty with diverse academic backgrounds and strong regional,national and international links offering a wide-range of cutting edge topics. We’re happy towelcome students from all over the world to our vibrant, welcoming and inclusivedepartment. The research clusters below are indicative of the broad range of issues that weare interested in.
Geographical areas covered:
South Asia and South East Asia, including countries like Bangladesh, India, Singapore, China.The United States and South Asian Diaspora in West Europe
The Krea University campus is located in Sri City (Andhra Pradesh), 70 kilometres north of Chennai. A 40-acres campus surrounded by lush greenery, the space is designed to be conducive to the mental and physical well-being of its residents. Scholars will have access to multiple facilities such as a football field, badminton court, fitness centre, dance studio as well as a medical centre, convenience store, and salon. The campus is also equipped with technology enabled classrooms, laboratories, and a library that aim to enhance the research and learning experience. These amenities are well complemented by the vibrant, multicultural, and intellectually stimulating community at Krea, making the graduate programme an academically, professionally, and personally enriching experience.
Krea houses diverse Research Centres and provides strategic oversight to few others, across the spectrum of disciplines. As a part of the Krea community, PhD scholars are encouraged to observe, contribute, and collaborate with these centres.