Internships

Archives at NCBS

Internship Programmes

****

 

 

Archives Description

We are a History of Science in Contemporary India (HOSCI) Archives, collecting archival material across all registers of science over the last 200 years, and from across the country. Over 400,000 processed objects across 100+ collections and 15+ languages are in various forms, ranging from paper-based manuscripts to negatives to photographs, books, fine art, audio recordings, scientific equipment, letters, and field and lab notes. The 2000-square-feet state-of-the-art, wheelchair accesible, physical centre located at NCBS includes space for research, processing, exhibitions, recording, and a leading-edge storage facility with monitors for temperature, light, humidity, air quality, water, fire, pests, and noise. The holdings include the papers of the ornithologist, Ravi Sankaran, and the molecular biologist and co-founder of NCBS, Obaid Siddiqi. They include the papers of TSG Sastry, a physicist who worked on the Thumba rocket programme, Leslie Coleman, an early 20th century agricultural scientist in Mysore state, and the renowned agricultural scientist, MS Swaminathan. The Archives hold the archival papers of a grassroots environmental movement in Wayanad, Kerala, histories of science education around Bhopal, and histories of science media through the papers of Chandita Mukherjee. The Archives is also home to hundreds of oral history interviews with individuals ranging from the renowned phenomenologist and particle physicist, Rohini Godbole, to the elephant mahout at Dudhwa National Park, Idrees Khan. Over 800 subjects find a place at the archives, from aerospace technology to LGBT activism, from molecular biology to women's health services and, of course, zoology. The Archives has one underlying philosophy—of enabling diverse stories—and operates on four broad verticals. One is to strengthen research collections and access in the history and culture of science in contemporary India. The second is to push the frontiers of research in archival sciences in India, forging intersections with scholarship in law, ethics, information theory and the semantic web, for instance. The third is to build capacity and public awareness through education, training and programming, from high school to professional practice. And the fourth: to reimagine the archives as part of the commons through vibrant public engagement. The Obaid Siddiqi Chair in the History and Culture of Science is generously supported by TNQ Foundation. And much of the work of the Archives at NCBS is supported by TNQ Foundation and Arcadia. 

***

 

 

 

Call for Archive Software Internship, Archives at NCBS

 

Thesis - Hand drawn figures. MS-0147-2-6-8-14, NV Joshi Papers, Archives at NCBS

 

We are looking for software interns who can learn and assist in web development of archiving tools. Interns will be trained in ArchivesSpace and DSpace web development, open source platforms used toward digital public access of archival material from the Archives at NCBS. There is potential for this internship to develop into a full-time software development project role. Thanks again for your interest and looking forward to hearing from you.

 

Version 2: Sep 1, 2026
Deadline: Sep 15, 2026  
Decision by: Oct 1, 2026
Internship Duration: Three months
Start date: Earliest is Oct 10, 2026 (specific dates flexible)
Location: In-person, Archives at NCBS
Internship compensation: Rs 20,000 per month
Number of positions: 1-2

 

How: Via this questionnaire - https://bit.ly/ancbs-internship-dev-aug26

 

Qualification: Undergraduate degree in Sciences or Arts in any discipline (Minimum)
Nice to have: Diploma or Degree in Archival Sciences, Library Sciences, Information Sciences

 

Contact: archives-dev@ncbs.res.in

 

Skills:
Familiarity with managing spreadsheet.
Operational confidence with Linux environment and some command line tools.
Read/follow official technical documentation and tools.

 

Responsibilities (learning and assisting):
1. Process and analyze spreadsheet data (archival catalog preparatory material).
2. Auditing and revising over 24,000 ArchivesSpace records and over 5,00,000+ DSpace items for compliance (access policy, language, metadata).
3. Bulk updating archival records with new descriptive elements in existing collections -- includes name authorities
4. Use the API endpoints of  ArchivesSpace and DSpace to query, retrieve and update records and items.

 

Process:
All interested applicants must submit their application by filling up this online questionnaire: https://bit.ly/ancbs-internship-dev-aug26
Short-listed candidates will be invited for a conversation online, following which references may be reached out to, in order to make a final selection.
All applicants will be notified of results by Oct 15, 2026.
 

 

****

 

Call for Outreach Intern, Archives at NCBS

 

Ice Cream Party. MS-044-5-0-5-13. Ram Kumar Varma Papers, Archives at NCBS

 

About the position:

The Archives at NCBS is seeking an outreach intern who can enable creative interpretation and dissemination of archival collections. This person will work with the Public Engagement Lead for 3 months towards one of the four verticals of the archives, “to reimagine the archives as part of the commons through vibrant public engagement”.

Deadline: Sep 15, 2026  
Decision by: Oct 10, 2026
Start date: November 1, 2026
Internship Duration: Three months (potential to extend)
Type of position: Full-time, contract, in-person
Location:  Archives at NCBS
Internship compensation: Rs 20,000 per month
Number of positions: 1

 

A broad set of expected skills and responsibilities are outlined below. We encourage people to apply even if they don’t fulfill all mentioned criteria.

 

Skills or qualifications:


- Graduate degree in communication-related courses, or in any discipline with additional training/courses in communications or public engagement.
- Keen interest in digging through archival catalogues.
- Strong written, spoken, and public-speaking skills.
- Demonstrated ability to work with design and editing tools (toward creation of public engagement posters and collateral).
- Fluency in English (spoken, written) and Kannada (at least conversational).


 

Responsibilities:

- Emceeing and assisting in organising public events.
- Curating and disseminating stories/messaging using archival material around Bangalore, on campus and online. This involves extensive use of the catalogue to identify interesting stories within the archival collections.
- Curating and creating content from the archives for merchandise: postcards, brochures, and bookmarks.
- Managing the Archives social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram). This involves posting about archival collections, people, and events; and designing posters/collateral for various announcements.
- Assisting with the running of Silverfish, the blog for the archives.
- Conducting archives tours for visitors.

 

 

Application Process:

(a) All interested applicants should apply through this online questionnaire before the submission deadline: https://bit.ly/ancbs-internship-outreach
(b) Those selected from this questionnaire will be asked to make time for a 45-minute interview slot (in person or Zoom).
(c) Final short-listed candidates will be required to provide names of two relevant referees who will be contacted as a final step in the process.


 

Relevant links for Archives at NCBS:

Access guidelines: https://archives.ncbs.res.in/access/
Catalogue entry: https://catalogue.archives.ncbs.res.in/
Featured collections: https://archives.ncbs.res.in/featured-collections/
Events page: https://www.ncbs.res.in/events/apls/

 

 

 

 

 

Call for Archiving Interns 2025 - Photographic Records

NOTE: This position is now closed


MS-030-1-1-1-1, Part of a contact sheet, 1977, Ashish Chandola Papers, Archives at NCBS.

 

 

When: Between August - October 2025
Duration: Minimum of 8 weeks
Where:  In person at Archives at NCBS, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore
Compensation: Rs 15,000 - 25,000 per month
Number of positions:  1

The Archives at NCBS invites students of art and photography, artists, photographers and those with an interest in wildlife photography and nature photography to join the archiving team to help us process photographic records  related to wildlife, national parks etc in South India. 

Who are we?

The Archives at NCBS (https://archives.ncbs.res.in) is a public collecting centre for the history of science in contemporary India. Located at the National Center for the Biological Sciences, part of the Tata Institute for Fundamental Research, Bengaluru, it is one of the few archives in India dedicated to collecting material related to the history of science.

The Archives at NCBS has over 300,000 processed object (https://catalogue.archives.ncbs.res.in/repositories/resources) across over 50 collections in various forms, ranging from paper-based manuscripts to negatives to photographs, books, fine art, audio recordings, scientific equipment, letters, and field and lab notes. Archival records are stored in a leading-edge storage facility with monitors for temperature, light, humidity, air quality, water, fire, pests, and noise. The 2000-square-foot state-of-the-art physical centre at NCBS includes space for research, processing, exhibitions, and recording.

What do we do?

We collect, preserve and make available online endangered cultural artefacts related to the contemporary (~200 years) history of science in India. These records are primarily in the form of letters, administrative records, annotated manuscripts, maps, architectural drawings, lab notes, photographs, film negatives, slides, oral histories and other audio/visual material.

What is expected of you?

You will be part of a team who will be appraising, arranging, describing and performing basic preserving activities on photographic records. This material is in the form of photographic prints, photos and photo albums, negatives, microfilm, roll film, 35mm slides, contact sheets etc.

How to apply?

All interested applicants must submit their application by sending an email with their resume and and a detailed statement of interest for the photography-archiving internship to archives-edu@ncbs.res.in 

In your personal statement please explain, using examples, how your interests match the internship-call. 

The coordinator-internship will shortlist candidates from the applications we receive.

Short-listed candidates will be asked to fill-up an online questionnaire, following which the coordinator-internship will request for references and hold interviews with them to make a final selection.

All applicants will be notified of the results.

Contact:
archives-edu@ncbs.res.in
anjalir@ncbs.res.in
+91-80-2366-6011/6181

 

Disclaimer

Please keep in mind that this IS NOT an internship in biology or any of the sciences. And this is not an entry point into scientific research at NCBS.

**************

Call for Conservation Internship at Archives at NCBS- 2025

NOTE: This position is now closed

The Archives at NCBS invites applications for conservation internship. The intern will be expected to work with the Archival Conservator to preserve and carry out conservation treatment on objects in the Archives.

Duration & Timings: Minimum of 3 months, starting from October, 2025. In-person at the Archives on weekdays from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM.

Stipend: Rs 15,000-25,000 per month.

Apply before 20th August 2025.

Role & Responsibilities:

  • Conduct condition assessments of archival collections.

  • Assist the Archival Conservator with conservation treatments of physical objects.

  • Photo documention of the conservation processes and photo editing. 

  • Make conservation reports. 

Eligibility:

  • Open to candidates from diverse academic backgrounds, but applicants must demonstrate an interest in archival conservation and preservation.

  • Must have a minimum of 6 months of formal or informal training in art or archival conservation.

  • Must possess the ability to work collaboratively in a a diverse and inclusive workplace. 

Link to application form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1a4A8YOrgHjQlf7JXJpswpIAYy2eEk5B8mO50so2f83g/edit

Contact: Sindhu Nagaraja - sindhun@ncbs.res.in

 

**************

 

Archival Processing Internship

NOTE: This position is now closed for the autumn quarter, next round opens in December, 2025.

 

 

Where: Archives at NCBS, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore
When: Between April-December 2025
Duration: Minimum of 8 weeks
Mode: In person at NCBS
Compensation: Rs 15,000-25,000 per month
Categories: Archives/Archival Processing
Number of positions: 6 (5 positions have been filled - Edited - 17 July)
Contact person: Anjali Ramachandran
Contact: archives-edu@ncbs.res.in, +91-80-2366-6011/6181

 

Please keep in mind that this is NOT an internship in biology or any of the sciences. And this is not an entry point into scientific research at NCBS.

Archives at NCBS invites applications from graduate and post-graduate students to join us to work with our archiving team.

The Archives is a public collecting centre for the history of science in India. The Internship programme comes under our education vertical (https://archives.ncbs.res.in/edu), where we hope to build capacity and public awareness through education, training and programming, from high school to professional practice.

Every year the archives make accessible over one hundred thousand archival records related to the history of science in India. We spend the whole year collecting, appraising, arranging, describing, foldering and boxing all the material that you get to see on our digital archive.

As an intern at the Archives, students will be working with our team and learning about archival processing and archival descriptions.

You will get acquainted with archival theory, practices and processes involved in the cataloguing of primary research material and get a feel of being part of a public archive for science in India.

Find application details here.

 

**************

Call for Conservation Interns at Archives at NCBS - 2024
 

NOTE: This position is now closed

 

The intern is expected to conduct condition assessment of the collections, assist the Archival-Conservator with conservation treatment on physical objects. 

You will be working at the Archives for a minimum of 8 weeks on weekdays between 10 am - 5:30 pm. 

Candidates who are from varied backgrounds and disciplines can apply as long as they have a minimum of 1-2 years experience working in the field of art/archival conservation.

Only one position is open for 2024. A stipend of Rs 15,000 per month will be provided.

Candidates interested in applying for the internship need to fill-out the google form using the link provided in the call.

Apply before 31st July 2024.
Application Form : https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1a4A8YOrgHjQlf7JXJpswpIAYy2eEk5B8mO50so2f83g

 

**************

 

Archiving Internship - 2024

 

NOTE: This position is now closed

When: Between April-December 2024

Duration: Minimum of 8 weeks

Where: In-person at Archives at NCBS, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore

Compensation: Rs 10,000-15,000 per month 

Number of positions: 3

The Archives at NCBS invites students to join the archiving team to help us process records related to the history of science in contemporary India.  

Who are we?

The Archives at NCBS (https://archives.ncbs.res.in/) is a public centre for the history of science in contemporary India. Over 250,000 processed objects across 50+ collections are housed at the 2000-square-feet state-of-the-art physical centre. It aims to be a living, breathing place to make better sense of our intertwined histories and the moving frontiers of science.

What do we do?

We intend to collect, preserve and make available online endangered cultural artefacts related to the contemporary (~200 years) history of science in India. These records are primarily research material - administrative records, annotated manuscripts, maps, architectural drawings, lab notes, photographs, negatives, slides, oral histories and other audio/visual material.

What is expected of you?

You will be part of a team who will be appraising, arranging, describing and performing basic preserving activities with regard to archival material.

How to apply?

Write an email with a statement of interest for the internship to archives@ncbs.res.in 

DISCLAIMER

Please keep in mind that this IS NOT an internship in biology or any of the sciences. And this is not an entry point into scientific research at NCBS.

 

**************

 

Making sense of history - internship programme

 

The Archives at NCBS is a public collecting centre for the history of science in contemporary India. It aims to be a living, breathing place to make better sense of our intertwined histories and the moving frontiers of science. The physical and digital archive opened to the public in February 2019. 

 

The Archives is seeking student interns to work with the archiving team. To archive is to collect, sort and make sense of history. The task of setting up a new physical and digital archive is an opportunity to think about the links between journalism, storytelling using archival material, web annotations, scientific research, IT law and classification of information. This is also an opportunity to think of ways to spread awareness about the archival material, through design narratives and artwork.

 

We are not necessarily looking for students specializing in the sciences. We invite senior school students and undergraduate/postgraduate students from across disciplines -- sciences, engineering, history, sociology, art, design, law, archival/library/museum studies, theater -- to get a feel of an upcoming archive, in both the physical and digital space. Depending on their background, the range of work will change.

 

The records are primary research material – administrative records, annotated manuscripts, maps, architectural drawings, lab notes, photographs, negatives, slides, oral histories and other electronic audio/visual material. The student is expected to be part of a team that is helping build a new approach to physical and digital archives in the sciences. Future work will include a systematic approach to collecting more archival material under guidance of the archives team at NCBS, in the form of both conducting interviews and sourcing primary documents from other institutions.

 


Please keep in mind that this is NOT an internship in biology or any of the sciences. And this is not an entry point into scientific research at NCBS.

 

Making sense of history - internship programme

Period: Flexible, rolling
Duration: 6-12 weeks
Compensation: Nominal stipend will be offered to cover expenses
Contact: archives@ncbs.res.in
Details