(Last updated at 16:32 on 19/05/2026)
Please follow this page for updates on MTech RA/RAP Admissions to IEOR Department for the 2026 July Semester. Links to the online-registration form for the test, interview meeting links, and other information etc will be posted here.
Information for RA/RAP Applicants
Several positions are available for 3-Year MTech for Research Assistants through Projects (RAP) candidates. These positions are supported through sponsored projects being undertaken in the department. These projects are in the domains of logistics, supply-chains, operations, digitalization, applications of data-analytics and AI/ML in IEOR and related topics. Two positions are also available for 3-Year MTech Research Assistants (RA). These positions support the functioning of the department labs and other systems. More specific details about the projects are included below.
Minimum Criteria for candidates to be considered for RA/RAP Admissions:
Applicants should have applied for M.Tech Program at IEOR, IIT Bombay under RA category. All candidates who meet the above criteria can register for the interview process. You will be required to fill in a few personal and academic details. The candidates will also attempt an aptitude test and submit their solutions. Interview registration and attempting the test is a strict requirement. Please see the schedule below for the link to the form. Out of all candidates who register and submit their aptitude test solutions, at most 40 (or less) will be shortlisted for interview based on their GATE score only. Final shortlisting for admission will be based on interview score which will consider the aptitude test performance also.
Aptitude Test
We test both APTITUDE and QUANTITATIVE skills. Besides these general skills, we also test knowledge in the topics from (but not limited to) the list below.
- Basic mathematics at the level of B.E./B.Tech.
- Elementary probability and statistics, conditional probability, random variables, expectation and variance
- Differential calculus, maxima & minima, differential equations
- Basic linear algebra
- Permutations, combinations and counting
- Notion of algorithms and flowcharts
- Topics in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, for example
- Optimization, linear programming
- Network flows and related models
- Basics of queueing theory
Some questions may require reading and understanding a provided reading material concerning a specific project and modeling/coding/developing a simple solution approach.
Schedule and Links
| Stages | Dates | Details |
Please check below the rules and regulations for RA/RAP position.
RA and RAP are fulltime MTech for duration of 3 years.
Candidates admitted under RA/RAP category shall not accept or hold any appointment (paid or otherwise) or receive any emoluments, salary, stipend from any other source during RAP tenure.
The continuation of RA/RAP assistantship will be subject to monthly attendance and satisfactory academic performance
Candidates admitted under RAP category, against a sponsored R&D project, will be required to work for the same project for 20 hours per week and undertake the M.Tech. dissertation work under the same project investigator(s), and will be considered for a financial assistantships from the sponsored project as per the norms for a period of 36 months.
Candidates admitted as RA will be considered for financial assistantships of Rs.13,400 (per month), along with annual increments as prescribed by Institute rules, for a maximum period of 36 months subject to serving as a research assistant in a course/laboratory for 20 hours per week as assigned by the concerned academic unit.
The assistantship will be paid on the basis of monthly attendance. Assistantships supported through certain projects for RAPs may be higher than the above stipend.
Employees on the rolls (with or without pay) of any organization are not eligible for admission under RA/RAP category.
A valid GATE score is mandatory; the interview (and aptitude test) are mandatory for admission in IEOR. Candidates with a bachelor's degree in an undergraduate programme from an IIT with CPI at least 8.0 out 10 are exempt from this requirement.
- See also detailed rules and information about admissions to MTech Programmes in IIT Bombay.
Contact
Please send an e-mail to admissions@ieor.iitb.ac.in or office.ieor@iitb.ac.in regarding any specific queries on M.Tech. RAP/RA Admissions.
List of Projects / Positions Available
Projects
We have a total of 7 project positions. Kindly note that all these are for 3 year MTech.
Position 1: Hybrid drone-ground vehicle logistics for Warehouse and Last-Mile Operations (RAP)
Position 2: AI-Enabled Digital Twin for Intelligent Infrastructure Logistics Systems (RAP)
Position 3: Higher-order networks: Dynamics and Inference (RAP)
Position 4: City-scale agent-based models to study tuberculosis transmission (RAP)
Position 5: Enhancing network operations using LLMs (RAP)
Position 6: Institute RA for IEOR Hardware oriented labs
Position 7: Institute RA for IEOR system administration and software labs
Projects Details:
Title: Hybrid drone-ground vehicle logistics for Warehouse and Last-Mile Operations (RAP)
Prerequisites: Prior hands-on experience/ exposure in building systems using Arduino/ ESP32; courses on Control systems, Mechatronics, or Robotics will be helpful. Expect candidates to be comfortable in coding using Python, interested in building simulation models, play with AI/ML models and hardware units.
Project Description: Hybrid drone–ground vehicle logistics systems for two complementary operational contexts: intra-warehouse logistics and last-mile delivery scenarios. The objective is to understand how aerial and ground robots can coordinate to improve efficiency, flexibility, and responsiveness in modern logistics systems. Inside a warehouse, The research will develop a small experimental platform where drones and ground robots coordinate tasks such as item retrieval, shelf scanning, and delivery to packing stations. In last-mile setting, the system will model a hybrid delivery approach in which a ground vehicle acts as a mobile depot while drones perform short-range deliveries to nearby destinations. The research will experimentally evaluate delivery strategies.
PI: Jayendran V
Funding source: IITB-Fedex ALFA Centre, IITB
Title: AI-Enabled Digital Twin for Intelligent Infrastructure Logistics Systems (RAP)
Prerequisites: Strong foundation in mathematics, optimization, and programming (Python/MATLAB) is preferred. Candidates with backgrounds in Mechanical, Civil, Industrial Engineering, Computer Science, AI/Data Science, or Operations Research are encouraged to apply. Familiarity with modelling and simulation techniques including Discrete Event Simulation (DES), Agent-Based Simulation (ABS), physics-based modelling, AI/ML, logistics systems, or digital twin concepts will be advantageous. Strong analytical thinking and interest in intelligent infrastructure systems are essential.
Project Description: Large-scale infrastructure logistics systems such as ports, multimodal freight terminals, and oil and gas transportation networks are becoming increasingly complex due to rising trade volumes, demand variability, infrastructure constraints, and evolving regulatory requirements. These systems operate as tightly coupled physical networks where flow dynamics, capacity limits, storage constraints, and operational workflows interact in non-trivial ways. Despite their importance, decision-making in such environments often remains fragmented and reactive, with limited integration of physics-based modeling and data-driven analytics. This research aims to develop an integrated digital twin framework that combines first-principles, physics-based modeling of infrastructure behavior with advanced simulation and AI-driven analytics. The objective is to create a robust decision-support environment capable of representing material flows, congestion propagation, asset utilization, and network-level interactions under uncertainty. The framework will enable scenario analysis for demand surges, infrastructure expansion, maintenance planning, and disruption response. By bridging physical system modeling with intelligent analytics, the proposed research seeks to improve operational efficiency, throughput, and resilience across critical logistics infrastructure systems. The outcomes are expected to contribute to scalable methodologies for modernizing large-scale trade and energy transport networks.
PI: Saurabh Jain
Funding source: IITB-Fedex ALFA Centre, IITB
Title: Higher-order networks: Dynamics and Inference (RAP)
Prerequisites: Candidates should have a sound mathematical background in linear algebra and probability. Background in matrix/random matrix theory is a bonus. They should also be adept at coding using Python. Knowledge of parallel programming (mpi) is a bonus. The candidate should also be interested in picking up and using state-of-the-art AI tools and network libraries.
Project Description: This project develops statistical foundations for analyzing higher-order interaction data represented as tensors. We study random hypergraph models to address three core problems: parameter estimation under full and partial observations, inference for temporal dynamics with latent regime switching, and efficient sampling of constrained tensor structures. The work focuses on sampling and storing high-dimensional tensors and hypergraphs with constraints efficiently. Algorithms for sampling along with computational guarantees will be proposed and implemented. These will further be tailored towards downstream tasks such as Inference and will incorporate dynamics to model real-world interactions.
PI: Vinay Kumar B.R.
Funding source: IRCC, IIT Bombay
TITLE: CITY-SCALE AGENT-BASED MODELS TO STUDY TUBERCULOSIS TRANSMISSION (RAP)
Prerequisites: Candidates should have an interest in doing epidemic modeling. Preferred skills: Programming: Python, C++. Ability to curate and analyze real-world datasets. Strong foundation in simulation modeling and analysis.
Description: Agent-based models (ABMs) enable us to study the spread of infectious diseases in a community. Unlike compartmental models that merely capture the evolution of the number of individuals that are susceptible, infected, etc., ABMs enable us to model finer details and study the effectiveness of various intervention strategies; specifically, they are ideal to model several features of Indian cities such as slums and crowded public spaces (such as malls and trains), as well as accurately capture the effects of asymptomatic individuals, individuals with weak immune system, etc. and their effects on the spread of the disease. This project aims to develop a city-scale ABM to analyze the spread of tuberculosis.
PI: Sarath Yashodharan
Funding source: IRCC, IIT Bombay
TITLE: ENHANCING NETWORK OPERATIONS USING LLMS (RAP)
Prerequisites: TBD
Project Description: TBD
PI: Manjesh Kumar Hanawal
Title: Institute RA for IEOR Hardware oriented labs
Prerequisites: Prior hands-on experience/ exposure in building systems using Arduino/ ESP32, using 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC machines; courses on Control systems, Mechatronics, or Robotics will be helpful. Exposure to industrial engineering concepts also helpful.
Project Description: Responsibilities include assisting IEOR Faculty with developing, updating and supporting UG and PG program labs, curriculum for Digital Enterprise Systems and other labs. Familiarity with digital, electrical and mechanical systems will be preferable. This is an institute RA position, not supported through any other project.
Title: Institute RA for IEOR system administration and software labs
Prerequisites: Prior exposure and interest in working as computer system administrator; server admin, website design and maintenance; helping with software labs on optimisation, programming, algorithms; build and run automated workflows
Project Description: Responsibilities include maintaining IEOR computational and web servers, upgrading hardware, installing & updating software, maintaining the department website, supporting students, staff and faculty in using these systems, assisting in maintaining other systems including printers, wifi, scanners and switches etc. The candidate should be comfortable using and managing computers and other hardware. Familiarity with Linux, good communication skills, analytical and debugging abilities, basic knowledge of networking are desirable. This is an institute RA position, not supported through any other project.