IIT Madras Project Consultant (Humanities and Social Sciences) Recruitment 2026 – Apply Online

The Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT Madras has 1 temporary post of Project Consultant. The post serves the project "Social Media and Gen AI Safety in India: Youth and Parent Perspectives from Four States", funded by MeitY, New Delhi. The appointment is initially for one year, later extendable based on performance, and pays Rs. 99,167/- per month (consolidated). Candidates need a Master's degree in one of the social sciences and 10 years of experience managing research, teams, fieldwork and organizational arrangements. The Office of Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research (IC&SR), Indian Institute of Technology Madras, accepts online applications only, until 4 November 2026.

IIT Madras Project Consultant at a Glance

The official notification does not specify the age limit or the application fee.

About IIT Madras Project Consultant

The Office of Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research (IC&SR) at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, handles recruitment for IIT Madras's sponsored research projects. This post is in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. The project coordinator is Prof. Mathangi Krishnamurthy of that department.

Who Can Apply

Qualification and Experience

• Only relevant experience gained after the minimum qualifying degree is counted.
• The prescribed qualifications are the minimum. Meeting them does not by itself mean a candidate will be called for interview.
• The minimum qualification and/or experience can be relaxed for exceptionally outstanding candidates.
• The Institute may, at its discretion, relax the experience requirement for Scheduled Caste / Scheduled Tribe candidates. This applies if the competent authority, at any stage of selection, finds that enough candidates from these communities with the required experience are not likely to be available to fill the vacancy reserved for them.
• The crucial date for checking eligibility, in every respect, is the closing date for online applications (4 November 2026).

Nationality

Candidates must be citizens of India. People who migrated from Pakistan intending to settle permanently in India, and subjects of Nepal, are also eligible. However, they will need a certificate of eligibility from the Government of India before appointment. They should apply to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, for this certificate and provide satisfactory proof that they have applied.

For the discipline-specific eligibility of the post, candidates should check the official notification.

Pay and Tenure

The Project Consultant gets Rs. 99,167/- per month (consolidated). The post is temporary and purely on a contract basis. It is initially for one year and can later be extended based on performance. Completing the contract does not give any right to further extension, regularisation or a permanent post at the Institute.

IIT Madras Project Consultant Job Description

The Consultant is expected to:

• Work as the Research Manager for the project and be broadly responsible for leading day-to-day survey management with the survey firm, overseeing enumerator training, fieldwork quality control and daily progress tracking.
• Lead the day-to-day management of survey operations and serve as the key contact with the empanelled survey firm. This includes agreeing work plans, field deployment schedules and reporting formats, and holding the firm to the agreed protocols, timelines and deliverables.
• Coordinate any translation, back-translation and field-readiness of the survey instruments, including any reviews of the local language versions. Oversee the programming, skip logic and testing of the digital (CAPI) questionnaire before deployment.
• Organise and document any soft testing, pretesting and piloting, and make sure what is learned in these rounds feeds back into revising the instruments.
• Oversee any enumerator training that the survey firm conducts. Make sure the training covers study priorities such as matched youth–parent instruments, consent, and the skills needed to interview adolescents on sensitive subjects.
• Oversee fieldwork quality control and track progress against samples regularly.
• Implement and monitor the approved sampling protocol jointly with the Research Scientist II, including checking household eligibility and arranging any replacements needed for non-contact or non-response.
• Oversee the ethics, consent and safeguarding protocols during fieldwork, including consent and the confidentiality of respondent data.
• Ensure timely feedback between the field team and research leadership, including weekly field updates.
• Oversee data quality jointly with the Research Scientist II. This includes reviewing incoming survey data for completeness and consistency, spotting deviations from the approved sampling and survey protocols, and coordinating corrective action with the field team.
• Manage and supervise the Research Associate and the field-facing tasks given to the Research Intern, including allocating work, reviewing outputs and giving regular guidance on survey management and quality-control tasks.

How to Apply for IIT Madras Project Consultant

1. Go to the IC&SR careers page at https://icandsr.iitm.ac.in/careers/current_openings.php. Applications are accepted online only.
2. Register and look for advertisement number Advt.224/2026 on the page.
3. Submit the application for the relevant position by 4 November 2026. The system accepts only one application per registered login ID (email) for an advertisement. If you want to apply for more than one position, select all of them before you submit. A separate application has to be filled for each post.
4. Enter a correct, active email address. The Institute will send all correspondence by email only.
5. Submit the application. It cannot be edited or reverted after submission. Do not apply twice for the same post, as multiple applications from one candidate for the same post may be rejected.
6. Take a printout of the submitted application form. You will need it if called for the document verification, test or interview. Do not send a hard copy to the Institute.

Documents named in the notice

• A printout of the submitted online application form, to bring for the document verification, test or interview.
• A No-Objection Certificate (NOC) at the document verification, test or interview, only for applicants already working on a project at IIT Madras who have not applied through proper channel.
• A certificate of eligibility from the Government of India, needed before appointment only for migrants from Pakistan and subjects of Nepal.
• Testimonials (optional) from people who know the candidate's work and character well. Candidates who are currently employed should submit testimonials from their most recent employer or immediate superior as a referee.

For technical problems with the application, email [email protected] or [email protected], or call 044- 2257 8843. These contacts are available on working days, Monday to Friday, from 9.00 AM to 05.30 PM, except National Holidays. Only technical issues are handled through these contacts. Questions about the selection process will not be answered in the meantime.

Selection and Interview

Candidates will be shortlisted for a test and/or interview based on the information they give in the online application. The Institute decides how applicants are screened and tested for shortlisting and selection. It may limit the number of candidates called for a written test, skill test or interview to a reasonable number. This limit can be based on qualifications, a level and relevance of experience higher than the minimum, and other academic achievements. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

• Being called for a test or interview does not guarantee that the candidate will be recommended or selected.
• Admission to any stage is provisional, subject to confirmation that the candidate meets the eligibility conditions. A registration certificate or call letter does not mean the candidature has been found eligible.
• If any information or claim in the online application is found to be false, at any stage or at the test or interview, the candidature may be rejected.
• Applicants working on a project at IIT Madras who have no NOC will not be allowed to appear for the test or interview.

Important Dates

Important Instructions

• The Institute will verify a candidate's antecedents or documents at any time during appointment or service. If it finds fake documents, or that a candidate hid a clandestine background, their services may be terminated.
• If a mistake in the selection process is found at any stage, even after the appointment letter is issued, the Institute reserves the right to modify, withdraw or cancel any communication sent to candidates.
• The Institute reserves the right to reject any or all applications, and not to fill the advertised position, without giving any reason.
• No correspondence will be entertained about the conduct or result of the test or interview, or about why a candidate was not called for interview. Canvassing in any form will lead to disqualification.
• Any corrigendum or clarification to this advertisement will be uploaded on the website if needed. No separate communication will be sent.
• The Institute aims for a gender-balanced workforce, and women candidates are encouraged to apply.

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