Meritorious Scholarship

Prof. Arvind: Prof. Arvind is a well-known theoretical quantum physicist working on science education, science communication, and developing science pedagogy in Punjabi and is credited with over 100 technical and non-technical publications. He is the National Coordinator of Theme-1 (Photonics) of the National Multi-Institutional Networked Programme on Quantum Enabled Science and Technology (QuST) launched by the Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi in 2018. He is also a member of the DPR drafting committee for the National Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications (NMQTA). He also served as the Vice Chancellor of Punjabi University, Patiala, and has been working at the IISER, Mohali since March 3, 2010. Before this, he was an associate professor at the same institute in 2007. He has also worked at the Physics Department of Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh as a special faculty from 2002-2004. His association with Guru Nanak Dev University dates back to 1985-1988 when he was a BSc. Student at the Department of Physics. He also worked as a faculty member in the same department from 2002 to 2004 where he made a long-lasting impact on his students and colleagues.

Prof. R.C. Singh: Prof. Ravi Chand Singh received his Ph.D. in physics from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, India in 1989. He was appointed at the same institute for one year and then moved to a post-doctoral position at Simon Fraser University, Canada in 1990.  He moved to Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar in 1993, where he served as a professor of Physics before retiring in the year 2018. He is currently an Honorary Professor at the GNDU. He has published more than 125 papers in the field of sensors. He is much loved by all his students and is popularly addressed as RC sir in the department. He loves playing with electronic gadgets and is deeply involved in the promotion of science in Punjab and the Punjabi language.

Mr. Sanjay Sood: Mr. Sood completed his M.Sc. in applied geophysics in 1991 from the Department of Physics, GNDU, Amritsar. After that he worked on a research project at Delhi University, followed by being a JRF at National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad. He again joined the Department of Physics as a Lecturer between 1993-2004. In 2004, Mr. Sood joined the graduate school at the University of Texas, Austin, and stayed there till 2007. After that he got associated with ConocoPhillips, Houston, Texas as a staff geophysicist and worked in the technology group, mostly focused on the signal processing for imaging the shadow structure of the earth. He is currently working as Staff Geophysicist at MoMacMo limited.

• Open to undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Department of Physics, GNDU (Main Campus), Amritsar.

• Applicants must have scored at least 60% marks from Class 12th to the current year of their degree.

• Applicants must be enrolled in the final year of the undergraduate program (Hons School) or the first (Hons School only) or second year of the postgraduate program in Physics at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar (Main Campus only).

• Only students who are not availing any other scholarship are eligible and will be considered.

• Students who have been awarded one of these scholarships in the past are welcome to apply, but preference will be given to new students.

• No minimum Income criteria. Selection will be based purely on merit and performance in Interview. 

The scholarships aim to support students' educational journeys and foster their growth as responsible professionals and role models. The number of awards may vary based on the availability of funds.

The scholarship covers full tuition fees for one year, including the current semester in which the student is enrolled, to be continued into the next semester subject to midterm evaluation as explained below. 

Application Open: 12th August 2025

Application Closes: 26th September 2025

Screening Result: 29th September 2025 Screening Results 2025 

Interview Round: 12th October 2025

Announcement of Awardees: To be announced later

• The application requires a Statement of Purpose (SOP) of 1000 words or less, written in Punjabi, Hindi, or English. The SOP should showcase the applicant's passion for excelling in their field of study and their vision for contributing to society. You can explain below the points in the SOP you write. 

  1.  Why do you need this scholarship?  List a few reasons you believe would be helpful in the committee’s decision. 

  2. Please write a short summary or personal statement describing your accomplishments and goals relevant to this scholarship 

  3. What do you expect to gain from earning a college degree? 

  4. What are your academic (or professional) goals? 

• Shortlisted candidates may be called for an interview to evaluate their interest in higher education and societal commitments.

• Upon selection, awardees will need to provide their bank details for the scholarship amount to be reimbursed upon providing the fee receipt.

• Awardees are expected to send monthly updates to the committee regarding their progress and any challenges faced.

• The PRAYAS team, in addition to providing the scholarship, is available to provide any necessary support.

• After each semester, an evaluation committee will assess the scholarship holder's profile, academics, science communication activities, etc.

• Based on the committee's recommendations, the scholarship may be continued or discontinued from the next semester.

• The committee will consider the student's SGPA/CGPA, work-based learning experiences, social scientific responsibility, and academic achievements/awards.

"We were very fortunate that we had the chance to be students of gurus like Professors Arvind and Ravi Chand, and Mr. Sanjay Sood. As members of Physics faculty at GNDU, they always had open doors, open minds and open hearts to listen to Students’ problems. They always have been ready to go above and beyond their academic duties to guide and make sure that their students achieve success and excellence. The three teachers are an epitome of ideal mentors that any student would seek. ASR scholarship is a small token of gratitude to these great mentors. We hope that the scholarship will motivate current and future Physics students of GNDU to strive for the best. 

We would also like to thank the PRAYAS team for preparing this nice platform for the ASR scholarship. We highly appreciate their support and hard work."     A message from Sponsor of the Scholarship.