India, UK Launch Ramanujan Fellowship for Young Scientists

In a landmark initiative to deepen scientific ties, India and the United Kingdom have launched the Ramanujan Junior Researchers Programme, named after the legendary Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. The fellowship aims to foster young Indian talent in theoretical sciences, enabling them to collaborate with leading British researchers at the London Institute for Mathematical Sciences (LIMS). Announced during UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to India, the initiative marks a symbolic revival of the 1913 collaboration between Ramanujan and G.H. Hardy, which transformed global mathematics.

A Tribute to Ramanujan’s Legacy

• The programme draws inspiration from Ramanujan’s meteoric journey from Madras to Cambridge. Supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), it provides Indian researchers the opportunity to follow in his footsteps—crossing borders in the pursuit of pure science.
• “This programme will give young Indian scientists the same chance Ramanujan once had — to test their ideas in the world’s most stimulating environments,” said Vikram Doraiswami, India’s High Commissioner to the UK.
• Echoing this, Dr Thomas Fink, Director of LIMS, stated: “Our Ramanujan Junior Researchers Programme will act as a bridge between two science superpowers.”

How the Fellowship Works

The Ramanujan Junior Researchers Programme will roll out in two distinct phases,

Phase 1: Junior Visitors from JNCASR

• Initially, PhD students from the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) will be selected.
• Designated as Ramanujan Junior Visitors, up to six students will spend several months at LIMS in London’s Mayfair, collaborating with senior theorists.
• They will attend lectures, develop research ideas, and work on high-level theoretical problems.

Phase 2: Ramanujan Junior Fellowships

• The second phase will expand the scheme across India.
• It will open three-year fellowships to early-career Indian researchers in theoretical physics and mathematics.
• These Ramanujan Junior Fellows will be embedded full-time at LIMS, contributing to ongoing research and developing independent projects with British counterparts.