MSV-2035 Astronomy Document - Inside Design - FINAL - FINAL

Astronomy & Astrophysics 101 many universities like Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia, JNU, Osmania University, Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Panjab University, Presidency University (Kolkata) and several central universities etc. This number has grown considerably in the last two decades, with the growth in number of astronomers in research institutes, as well as a gradual increase in the number of astronomers working in universities and other educational institutes. We can expect a steady growth in future but, to ensure high quality, it is essential that a number of steps be taken. These are in addition to the various proactive measures in place already. It is strongly recommended that a fraction of the mega project funds be dedicated for capacity building, training and outreach activities. 8.1.1 Support forResearch It is important to set up processes to ensure that we are able to exploit developments in technology and sciences and any windows of opportunity that may arise from time to time. Some actions are suggested here. While many of them may already be in place, these activities are required to be enhanced and spread across more institutions. • Support PhD students and Post Doctoral Fellows under mega projects.Well-funded (named) fellowships associated with each mega project may be set up to host high quality research and post-doctoral fellows. At least half of the positions should be for working in universities, IITs and IISERs. • Provide training through trainee programmes in both research and technical areas. Figure 13: Growth of Publications in Astronomy and Astrophysics from India. This is taken from the Astrophysics Data System and uses peer reviewed publications from the set of astronomy journals in the database. A rapid increase in the number of publications can be seen over the last two and a half decades. We see that the number of publications has doubled every eight years in this period. MEGA SCIENCE VISION-2035