Prof Dipankar Banerjee, Vice-Chancellor, IIST visited the Space Applications Centre (SAC - ISRO), Ahmedabad, during two days – 26 and 27 Nov 2025 and carried out extensive discussions. Prof Banerjee met Dr. Nilesh Desai, Director, SAC and discussed regarding areas of mutual interest to foster further collaboration through projects between IIST and SAC. The areas of overlapping interest in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Earth and Environmental sciences were discussed in detail with group members of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Applications Area (EPSA) led by Dr. Mehul Pandya.

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has approved the name of M. S. Krishnan, a pioneering Indian geologist, for a 3.5-billion-year-old crater on Mars. The crater lies in a region where evidence of ancient glaciation has been scientifically established. The naming proposal was jointly submitted by Prof. Rajesh V. J. (Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, IIST) and Dr. Asif Iqbal Kakkassery (who was a research scholar under the guidance of Dr. Rajesh V.J.

A research paper titled “Unraveling the stability and specific electrochemical sensing of lead ions using copper nanoclusters on sulfur and nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots” authored by Dr. K. Y Sandhya, Dr. Saisree S, Dhrishya V, and Arya S Nair, from Department of Chemistry got featured as the journal front cover in RSC Analyst. The work demonstrated the synthesis of a highly stable thiolate-protected copper nanocluster anchored on sulfur and nitrogen co-doped graphene quantum dots for the superior electrochemical sensing of Pb(II) ions

Dr. Gigy J Alex, Associate Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences is set to offer Swayam course in NPTEL, titled "Science Fiction Studies". This comprehensive course explores Science Fiction as a literary and cinematic genre, examining its impact on individuals and society. Through a range of topics, including space travel, robotics, and cybernetics, students will gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between science and society.

Course Highlights:

Course Name: Science Fiction Studies

Instructor: Dr. Gigy J Alex

A collaborative research paper by Prof. KY Sandhya and Dr. Arya Nair JS from the Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram, in collaboration with Prof. Sabu Thomas, Prof. Nandakumar Kalarikkal, and Dr. Parvathy Nancy from the International and Inter-University Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, has been featured on the front cover of the New Journal of Chemistry (RSC Publications).

A research paper titled “Flexible Printed Biosensor for Selective and Enhanced Sensing of Histidine by a Pyrolysis-Free Green Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Quantum Dots” authored by Dr. K. Y Sandhya, Dr. Saisree S, and Dhrishya V, from Department of Chemistry in collaboration with Dr. Achu Chandran, CSIR-NIIST got featured as the journal front cover in ACS Applied Electronic Materials. The work demonstrated the development of a flexible printed electrochemical sensor modified with bio-derived nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots.

Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) invites ONLINE applications for Assistant Professor in different areas of specialization namely Aerospace Engineering, Avionics, Mathematics and Physics. For detailed advertisement and online application, please visit our website:
https://iist.ac.in/prospective-faculty

Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) Thiruvananthapuram and AZISTA Industries private Limited (AZISTA), Hyderabad on 1st November 2025 for collaborative engagement in areas of mutual interest and academic co-operation. MoU document was signed by Prof. Dipankar Banerjee, Vice-Chancellor IIST and Shri Sunil Indurti, Director, AZISTA. Focal points/ coordinators identified from Institute side for further interactions are Dr. Priyadarshnam, Department of Avionics, IIST and Rovin Sharma, AZISTA.

Ms. Sona Babu, a Research Scholar in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, has received the Best Paper Award in the track “Simulation, Optimization and Productivity Improvement” for her paper titled “Hybrid Metaheuristics for Pareto-based Bi-objective Optimization in a JIT Unrelated Parallel Machine Scheduling Problem” at the 5th IEOM India International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management (IEOM 2025), held at VIT, Vellore, Tamil-Nadu, India, from November 6–8, 2025. She is pursuing her research under the supervision of Dr. B. S.

The Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology envisions the integration of Space Technology and Space Science educational programs with basic and applied research to meet the national R&D requirements of science and technology in general, and of the Indian Space Programme in particular. The institute provides a vibrant research atmosphere and offers doctoral and postdoctoral programmes. Online Applications are invited from highly motivated applicants for admission to the Ph.D.

In response to the invitation from the Additional secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, the faculty coordinator, Dr.Chakravarthy P., and a student representative, Shri Satyajit Kaman of the Adi Karmayogi Student Chapter, IIST, attended the National Conclave on Adi Karmayogi Abhiyan on 17th October 2025, at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. The program was graced by Shri Jual Oram, the Union Minister for Tribal Affairs and Shri Durgadas Uikey, the Honourable Minister of State for Tribal Affairs.

Prof. Dipankar Banerjee, Vice Chancellor, IIST, provided a deep dive into Aditya-L1 mission, India's dedicated solar observatory positioned at the Lagrange-1 point. Prof. Banerjee explained how the mission is crucial for continuously monitoring the Sun, having already detected many solar flares and studying the early phases of large solar explosions with its powerful instruments like the coronagraph.