Cardiac autonomic
HRV · BRS · RPP
Short, measurable studies on autonomic balance, baroreflex behaviour, orthostatic response and cardiovascular load.
Signals: ECG · BP · HRR · Valsalva
Research & ICMR Funding Portal
Your first study
Your first study
starts here.
From a single question about the living body to a funded, peer-reviewed paper — ICMR-STS, DHR-HRD, ICMR ePMS, ANRF, BIRAC, Science Academies SRFP, HIMCOSTE, institutional support, hands-on mentorship, and a research pipeline built into the Department of Physiology.
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STS stipend
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Seats / year (national)
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STS research work
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In-house lab modules
Physiometrics universe
From physiological variables to fundable student projects
The rotating hero variables are expanded here into practical research domains so students can connect signals, mentors, methods and funding routes.
Respiratory & oxygen
SpO₂ · RR · Spirometry
Low-risk protocols for breathing pattern, oxygen saturation, high-altitude adaptation and pulmonary function.
Signals: SpO₂ · RR · FVC · PEFR
Sleep & circadian
Sleep · Fatigue · Cognition
Student-scale projects linking sleep quality, chronotype, attention, reaction time and autonomic markers.
Tools: PSQI · ESS · RT · HRV
Neuro-muscular
EEG · EMG · Reflexes
Practical work on neuromuscular control, reaction time, sensory mapping and performance physiology.
Signals: EMG · RT · grip · sensory tests
Exercise recovery
VO₂ · HRR · Fitness
Feasible class-lab protocols around step tests, handgrip, warm-up, recovery and perceived exertion.
Signals: HRR · RPE · BP · activity logs
Wearable digital health
EDA · HR · Movement
Validation and pilot studies using wearables, ambulatory sensors and AI-assisted physiological signal analysis.
Signals: EDA · PPG · actigraphy · HR
Extreme physiology
Altitude · Cold · Terrain
Himachal-specific questions on acclimatisation, field physiology, oxygenation, fatigue and environmental stress.
Signals: SpO₂ · BP · temperature · fatigue
Translation pathway
Protocol → IEC → Funding
Each variable can move into STS, departmental mini-research, faculty-led grant pilots or innovation routes.
Output: poster · report · manuscript
Framework: pick one physiological signal, one mentor, one feasible measurement method and one clear funding/support route. This keeps student projects focused, ethical and completeable.
Leadership
Core Faculty
Core faculty & mentor map
Leadership, departmental research guidance and mentor allocation for the Phase I MBBS Physiology academic pathway — displayed as a live, slow-orbit, flashing constellation instead of a static list.
Principal
Prof. Dr. Rajesh Kumar Bhawani
SLBS GMC&H
HOD
Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Singh
Associate Professor · Physiology
Faculty
Dr. Veena Gupta
Mentor · Roll 01–17
Faculty
Dr. Rakesh Bansal
Mentor · Roll 18–34
SR
Dr. Shruti
Mentor · Roll 35–51
Faculty
Dr. Rakesh Mohan
Mentor · Roll 52–68
Faculty
Dr. Kanu Kapoor
Mentor · Roll 69–85
Faculty
Dr. Badal Katoch
Mentor · Roll 86–102
SR
Dr. Surekha
Mentor · Roll 103–120
Design note: the roster uses CSS-only neon pulse, flashing sparks and very slow orbit rings, so it remains Netlify-safe without external images, fonts, libraries or scripts.
Why start now
Research isn't a final-year luxury. It's a first-year head start.
The ICMR Short Term Studentship is open to first- and second-year students — exactly the moment most people think they're "too junior" to do research. They're not. And STS is only the flagship route: departmental mini-research, faculty-led grants, innovation incubators, state R&D opportunities and summer fellowships can also support the same research culture.
- Funded, not self-paid. A stipend rewards a completed, approved study — your curiosity is backed by real money.
- Publishable from the start. Projects are scoped toward a paper, a poster, and a line on your CV that compounds for years.
- Mentor-guided, never alone. A faculty guide is mandatory — and ours sit with you from the research question to the final report.
- Built on real infrastructure. A 44-module digital physiology lab, wearables, and an active research culture you can plug straight into.
- Mapped to multiple funding routes. The portal now separates direct student support, faculty-led grants, innovation/prototype funding, travel, workshop and institutional resource support.
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Professional year — the only window to apply. Don't wait for third year.0
Current STS work is structured across summer research breaks; mini-projects can still be scoped shorter.0
Funding and support routes mapped — from STS to incubators, state R&D and institutional resources.0
of national STS seats are reserved for MBBS students each year.
The research pipeline
One signal, nine stages
Like an impulse travelling its conduction pathway, your project moves through a defined sequence. Tap any stage to see exactly what happens there — and where the department steps in.
The ICMR-STS application, ethics approval, and funding-route selection stages are time-bound — the department helps you submit early and keep alternatives ready.
NEXT CYCLE · STS 2027
The ICMR Short Term Studentship
India's flagship undergraduate research scheme, run by the Indian Council of Medical Research under the Department of Health Research. Current HRD guidance frames STS as guided undergraduate research work across summer research breaks, with stipend instalments, certificate, and — done well — a poster or publication.
The 2026 window was extended to 10 June 2026 and has now closed. Figures below reflect the latest official guidance available while preparing this update — always confirm the current cycle on the official DHR / ICMR portal before applying.
- Who can apply
- 1st & 2nd prof.MBBS / BDS, NMC-recognised
- Stipend
- ₹60,000in instalments, latest guidance
- Duration
- 6 monthsacross 3 summer breaks
- Seats / year
- ≈ 2,000~80% MBBS · 20% BDS
- Guide
- Mandatoryqualified faculty
- Ethics
- RequiredIEC for human studies
Elective app × STS gateway
Use the elective platform as the feeder route into mini-research
The earlier elective page and this STS/research portal can work as a single academic pathway: electives create curiosity and skills; the research portal converts them into protocols, ethics submissions, STS applications and publication-track projects.
Medical Electrophysiology & Biomedical Instrumentation
Best feeder for STS/mini-projects on ECG, HRV, autonomic testing, EEG, EMG, signal quality and patient-safety learning.
- Suitable outputs: protocol, OSPE-linked dataset, poster, STS proposal
- Variables: ECG · HRV · BRS · EEG · EMG
Physiology for Preventive Health
Best feeder for projects on exercise, yoga, sleep, nutrition, lifestyle physiology and wearable-based preventive monitoring.
- Suitable outputs: low-risk intervention study, longitudinal log, counselling tool
- Variables: HRR · Sleep · SpO₂ · BP · Body composition
Extreme Physiology & Life
Best feeder for Himalayan/high-altitude, cold exposure, circadian disruption, disaster physiology and innovative physiology communication projects.
- Suitable outputs: field observation, simulation, review, innovation prototype
- Variables: SpO₂ · RR · temperature · fatigue · acclimatisation
Recommended deployment logic: keep this research/STS portal as a dedicated Netlify site and link it from the elective app. Phase I–II MBBS/BDS students can be routed toward official ICMR-STS; Phase III and other learners can be routed toward department mini-research, innovation, audit, seminar, review, and publication-support tracks within institutional ethics, institutional finance/procurement rules, and NMC/AMRU academic norms. Other funding agencies can be explored when the proposal is routed through the guide, department, institution and IEC wherever applicable.
Funding & support avenues
Expanded funding map
STS is the headline route, but it is not the only one. The updated portal now separates direct undergraduate support, faculty-led grants, innovation/prototype funding, state-specific opportunities, training fellowships, conference support and in-house resources.
Practical rule: ICMR-STS is the cleanest direct route for eligible Phase I–II MBBS/BDS students. Other routes are usually faculty-led, institution-routed, innovation/incubator-linked, or non-cash support. They can still be used within the NMC/AMRU academic framework when the project has departmental approval, IEC clearance where required, transparent budgeting, data protection, authorship clarity, and no conflict of interest.
Direct UG route
Use ICMR-STS as the first option for eligible 1st/2nd Professional MBBS/BDS students.
- Guide from the same college
- Concept note, IEC, originality and timeline discipline
- Report → certificate → poster/manuscript pathway
Grant expansion route
A strong student project can become a pilot dataset for larger ICMR ePMS, DHR-HRD, ANRF, HIMCOSTE or institutional proposals.
- PI/Co-PI ownership through the institution
- Student role clearly defined
- Budget, procurement and data governance documented
Prototype route
Device, app, wearable, AI or simulation ideas can move through incubators, BIRAC, DST/NIDHI, Startup India/MAARG and IIT-linked mentorship.
- Prototype before grant
- IP and conflict-of-interest review
- Validation study after IEC approval
Research themes & project bank
Pick a question worth chasing
Nine themes drawn from the department's strengths — and inside each, ready-to-scope project ideas designed for student-scale, ethics-friendly work. Short mini-projects can be completed locally; STS versions can be scaled across the official summer-break timeline. Open a theme to browse.
Have a question that doesn't fit any box? That's often the best kind. Bring it anyway — we'll help you shape it into a feasible study.
Where it gets interesting
Innovative directions, not textbook repeats
The frontier of physiology is wearable, computational, and personal. These are the directions we're actively building — and where a sharp student project can make a real dent.
Strategic partners & collaborators
You're not researching in isolation
The department connects to engineers, the affiliating university, national biomedical funders, innovation ecosystems, state R&D channels, and its own digital lab — so a student project can reach further than any one room.
IIT
IIT Mandi
Biomedical wearable systems
Joint work on wearable sensors and physiological signal processing — bringing engineering muscle to clinical physiology questions.
Atal Medical & Research University
Affiliating university · AMRU
The academic home that frames our curriculum, ethics, and research governance under the NMC CBME framework.
ICMR · Department of Health Research
Funding body
The national engine for biomedical research and the source of STS funding — the partner whose stipend turns an idea into a study.
AN
ANRF / DST / DBT ecosystem
Faculty-led R&D and innovation
Useful for larger physiology, AI, medtech and translational questions where a student pilot can feed a PI-led proposal or prototype pathway.
HP
HIMCOSTE & state R&D avenues
Himachal-specific research
Potential route for public-health, altitude, rural-health, AI/ML and locally relevant physiology projects when routed through the institution.
Physiometrics Digital Lab ©
In-house simulation suite
44+ interactive modules across cardiac, autonomic, respiratory and neural systems — a sandbox for hypotheses before you touch a single subject.
Interested in collaborating with the department? Reach out through the same form ↓
Express interest
Tell us what you want to study
Two minutes now. A real research conversation next. No commitment — just the first step on the pipeline.
Your email draft is ready.
Please send the opened email draft to complete your expression of interest. If your mail app did not open, use “Copy my details” and email drsksingh006@gmail.com directly.
The annual rhythm
How an STS year unfolds
Indicative timing based on recent cycles. The department runs ahead of each milestone so you're never scrambling at a deadline. Confirm exact dates on the official portal.
Now → early year
Find your question
Browse themes, meet a guide, and lock a feasible idea well before the portal opens.
Portal opens
Build the proposal
Write the protocol, run a plagiarism check, and prepare ethics documents with your guide.
Call window
Submit before it closes
Recent DHR-HRD calls are strictly time-bound; the 2026 STS deadline was extended to 10 June. We keep an internal deadline earlier than the portal deadline.
Summer breaks
Collect, analyse & report
For STS, work is structured across summer research breaks: concept note, key research activities, and final analysis/report. Department mini-projects can be scoped shorter.
Final output
Certificate, poster, paper
Complete the report and convert the work into a conference poster, manuscript, prototype note, or departmental research record.
Before you ask