Five Students Selected to Represent India at IOAA 2025

India has officially selected its team of five students for the 2025 International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA), set to take place in Mumbai this August. The final selection was made during the Astronomy Orientation-cum-Selection Camp (OCSC) held at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali.

Professor Jasjeet Singh Bagla from the Department of Physical Sciences at IISER Mohali shared that the OCSC saw participation from 37 students, who were shortlisted from 54 qualified candidates based on their performance in the Indian National Astronomy Olympiad. Nearly 500 students from across India had initially competed in the national round.

After an intensive training and evaluation process at the camp, five students emerged as the final team members who will represent India at IOAA 2025. The selected students are:

• Aarush Mishra
• Sumant Gupta
• Banibrata Majee
• Panini
• Akshat Srivastava

The OCSC provided advanced academic training and evaluated participants’ grasp of both theoretical concepts and practical applications in astronomy and astrophysics. Activities included expert-led lectures, interactive tutorials, hands-on sessions on telescope setup and usage, as well as guided night-sky observations.

While the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE)—a unit of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai—typically hosts the Astronomy OCSC, the 2025 camp was conducted by IISER Mohali. This change was made as HBCSE is serving as the host institution for the IOAA 2025.

The camp was a collaborative initiative, drawing on expertise from institutions across the country, including the Central University of Haryana (Mahendragarh), Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology (Patiala), IIT Kanpur, Ashoka University (Sonepat), and the Central University of Himachal Pradesh (Shahpur).

As a highlight of the camp, Professor Dipankar Bhattacharya of Ashoka University delivered a special lecture on astronomical imaging across various wavebands, offering deep insights and enriching the learning experience for all attendees.

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