Digital University Kerala CDTC Archives Recruitment 2026: AI Engineer & Project Scientist — Two Different AI Research Roles

Application deadline: 6 November 2026 | Work location: Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala | Selection: Test and Interview

Digital University Kerala has opened two project-specific technical appointments in its Centre for Digital Transformation in Culture (CDTC). Both positions are attached to the Archives project, but they ask for different capabilities. The AI Engineer role concentrates on Artificial Intelligence and Computer Vision development; the Project Scientist role expressly involves Natural Language Processing (NLP), AI/ML research and palm-leaf transliteration. Treating the two as interchangeable 'AI vacancies' would miss the most important eligibility distinction.

The recruitment is governed by Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology (KUDSIT) notification KUDSIT/821/RO1/2022, dated 22 October 2026. Applications are invited from qualified Indian citizens, must be submitted online and close on 6 November 2026. The university has advertised one vacancy in each post. The employment is contractual, not an advertisement for regular/permanent university faculty or technical positions.

🗂️ What the university is recruiting for

Both positions belong to the Archives, CDTC project and have Thiruvananthapuram as their place of work. The precise building or reporting location for the eventual appointment is not stated in the recruitment notification. The university separately specifies that the test and interview will be conducted within Thiruvananthapuram district only.

🥧 Post-wise share of the two advertised vacancies

🥧 Digital University Kerala CDTC Archives vacancies by role

The distribution is 50% AI Engineer and 50% Project Scientist, because each has one advertised opening. This is a breakdown by post, not SC/ST/OBC or other reservation distribution; the notification does not provide a category-wise vacancy table.

🔎 At a glance: which post fits which applicant?

The three-year experience requirement is attached to Project Scientist. It must not be copied into the AI Engineer criteria. Conversely, applicants for AI Engineer still need the research experience actually required by the university; 'no fixed number of years' does not mean that research experience is optional.

🤖 AI Engineer — computer vision development for the Archives project

Job code AIE/102026/821 | 1 vacancy | ₹25,000 per month | Age ceiling 30 years

Educational eligibility and research background

For this post, the university accepts M.Tech, ME, MCA, M.Sc or MPhil in Computer Science from a recognized university. The notice also asks for good academic performance and research experience. It does not prescribe a minimum marks percentage, CGPA, GATE score or minimum number of years of experience. The stated field for AI Engineer is Computer Science; the wider phrase 'or allied areas' is explicitly used for the Project Scientist qualification route, not for every AI Engineer qualification.

What the advertised job actually involves

The AI Engineer's assignments combine application development with academic research duties:

• AI and Computer Vision: understand problems, design solutions and develop AI/computer-vision systems for the Archives project.
• Prototype-to-system development: build prototypes, pilot systems and complete solutions; the position is not restricted to a single experimental demonstration.
• Specification review: examine both technical and functional specifications before implementing or evaluating a solution.
• Research outputs: write papers, detailed reports on the work conducted and project proposals.
• Data preparation: coordinate collection and labelling activities that support the research and system-development work.

Applicant assessment: A candidate with a Computer Science postgraduate qualification should be prepared to explain their actual research contribution, the AI/CV problem addressed, what part of a prototype or system they developed, and how any data collection or labelling was managed. These are sensible ways to document the advertised responsibilities, not an additional university-prescribed test syllabus or a mandatory software-tool list.

Pay and duration

The advertised consolidated monthly remuneration is ₹25,000. The initial contract is four months, and the notice permits extension up to one year depending on the results of the feasibility study. This does not guarantee one full year of employment. The notice does not itemize additional allowances or a regular pay-level scale.

🔬 Project Scientist — NLP, AI research and palm-leaf transliteration

Job code PS/102026/821 | 1 vacancy | ₹45,000 / ₹50,000 per month | Age ceiling 45 years

This position has a broader subject-area route but a more explicit evidence requirement. It calls for both advanced academic/research preparation and a documented record of relevant work.

Two accepted academic routes, one common experience condition

Route A — Ph.D.: a Ph.D. in Computer Science specializing in AI or allied areas.

Route B — postgraduate qualification: M.Tech, ME, MCA, M.Sc or MPhil in Computer Science or allied areas from a recognized university/educational institution, with a good academic record and research experience.

For the Project Scientist position, the notification also requires a minimum of three years of working experience in NLP, AI or Machine Learning at a reputed institution, accompanied by a proven record of research publications. It expressly permits research experience gained during the Ph.D. research period to be considered. That permission matters for doctoral researchers, but applicants should document the period and work accurately rather than automatically assuming that every year of Ph.D. enrolment qualifies.

The cultural-archives research focus is specific

The stated responsibilities include understanding, designing and developing AI solutions for NLP problems, particularly palm-leaf transliteration. Transliteration concerns representing writing in a different script; it should not be confused with a requirement to translate the content's meaning. The university does not identify a particular programming language, machine-learning library, dataset size, manuscript script or scoring benchmark in the four-page advertisement.

The work described by the university spans:

• designing and developing NLP/AI solutions connected with palm-leaf transliteration;
• creating research prototypes, pilot implementations and complete systems;
• reviewing functional and technical requirements;
• preparing publications, detailed study reports and research proposals;
• visiting and collaborating with relevant organizations for data collection and annotation; and
• coordinating collection and labelling activities with the project team.

What makes this role different: the notification joins NLP research, heritage-document work and research dissemination in one appointment. Candidates should give a clear account of their own NLP/AI/ML projects, institutional work, publications and any applicable data-annotation or collaborative research experience. The notice asks for publications; it does not state a particular minimum number or journal-ranking threshold.

Ph.D. salary condition is not a separate vacancy

A Project Scientist holding an eligible postgraduate degree and relevant experience is associated with ₹45,000 per month. For an eligible candidate holding a Ph.D. and relevant experience, the notified monthly figure is ₹50,000. These are two salary conditions for the same single Project Scientist vacancy, not a vacancy each, and the amounts are not added together.

The first contract is four months. The university says it may be extended further subject to performance; unlike the AI Engineer wording, the Project Scientist paragraph does not state a defined one-year ceiling. Neither post carries a guaranteed renewal or a commitment to permanent employment.

📊 Monthly pay comparison — all three officially notified remuneration levels

📊 AI Engineer versus Project Scientist advertised monthly remuneration

The first Project Scientist rate is ₹20,000 above the AI Engineer's monthly remuneration. The Ph.D. route is ₹5,000 above the postgraduate Project Scientist route. These comparisons describe the official monthly amounts, not the total value of a contract or take-home pay after any deductions. Both Project Scientist bars correspond to one advertised post, depending on the selected candidate's qualifications and relevant experience.

🎂 Age eligibility, cutoff date and category relaxation

The age reference date is 6 November 2026, the same day online applications close. The university sets two different post-wise upper limits: 30 years for AI Engineer and 45 years for Project Scientist. It allows five years of upper-age relaxation for SC/ST and three years for OBC applicants.

📊 Post-wise standard maximum age on the application closing date

The second table applies the arithmetic of the published relaxation to each post's standard limit; candidates must establish their claim with the required supporting documents. The notification does not set out a separate minimum age or a more detailed category-roster allocation.

🧭 Selection process and candidate communication

The official method is Test and Interview. The notification does not state that selection is interview-only. Both components will take place within Thiruvananthapuram district. The university will inform candidates of the test/interview schedule through the email address registered in their application. Accordingly, there is no published test date, reporting time, paper pattern, marks distribution, negative-marking policy or written-test syllabus in this notification.

The stated procedure also matters for what happens after assessment: original certificates must be produced when called for, and any selection or appointment is provisional until physical verification of supporting documents. If information is false, material facts are concealed or the applicant does not satisfy the requirements, candidature can be cancelled; the notification permits service termination if such problems are discovered after appointment. Canvassing is grounds for cancellation.

The university retains the right to cancel the advertisement or selection process and says its decision is final in cases of selection-process ambiguity. Candidates should therefore rely on information communicated through the university and their registered email, rather than treating unofficial claims of interview dates as confirmed.

🗓️ Official dates and locations

No application-opening date or closing clock-time is stated in the four-page notice. The published last date is a calendar date; candidates should not rely on an assumed midnight cutoff. An application fee is not specified in this notification; review any payment instructions shown on the university's own application portal before submitting a payment.

🧾 Online application — eight stages on the official university portal

Start from Digital University Kerala Careers and select the 22 October 2026 CDTC announcement. The university's direct application portal presents an eight-step application flow:

1. Primary Information — create an applicant account and select the applicable advertised position.
2. Personal Information — enter identity and contact information carefully; the email address is particularly important for the selection call.
3. Academics & Certifications — complete qualifications and academic details relevant to the selected role.
4. Experience & Publication Details — document research and employment history; for Project Scientist, include evidence of the three-year relevant experience and research publications.
5. Credits Information — complete the field as requested in the university's portal; follow its own explanatory prompts.
6. Professional References — provide the references requested by the form.
7. Documents Upload — attach the scanned evidence of age, education and experience and other applicable certificates.
8. Confirmation & Preview Application Form — review the entry and attachments before final submission.

The portal says information is saved after each step and that applicants should have scanned photographs and supporting documents ready. It also indicates that the account credentials are sent by email. These are features of the university's actual application portal, not additional mandatory qualifications imposed by the recruitment PDF.

Documents and declarations worth checking before final submission

• For both roles: valid proof of age, prescribed academic certificates, supporting research-experience documents and a working registered email address.
• AI Engineer: make sure the qualification is one of the specified Computer Science degrees; present relevant Computer Vision/AI research evidence truthfully.
• Project Scientist: support the precise NLP/AI/ML working period, the institution(s) concerned and research publications. If claiming Ph.D. research-period work, preserve the evidence showing its nature and dates.
• For an age-relaxation claim: upload the relevant supporting category certificate as requested by the university.
• For everyone: complete every applicable form field. The university expressly says it will summarily reject incomplete applications or submissions lacking essential scanned documents, with no extra opportunity to supply those missing documents later.

Applicants cannot assume that an omitted eligibility claim can be added later. The university says information not claimed in the proper application field will not be considered at a subsequent stage. Complete the form on or before 6 November 2026 and monitor your registered email afterward.

⚖️ Which of these two posts is the better match?

An applicant whose strongest evidence is Computer Science postgraduate study, AI/Computer Vision implementation and research projects may align more naturally with AI Engineer. They should not overlook the 30-year standard upper-age limit or the lower ₹25,000 consolidated remuneration.

An applicant with a research-publication record and at least three years working in NLP, AI or ML is more closely aligned with Project Scientist, especially where their work involves text, language-processing research or annotation/collaboration. The upper-age limit is 45 years, and the salary is qualification-dependent. A Ph.D. is one qualifying route, not compulsory for every candidate; the postgraduate route remains expressly available.

These are job-fit observations from the published requirements, not a prediction of shortlisting or selection. All applicants must independently satisfy the exact eligibility conditions, and the university makes the selection decision.

🔗 Original university sources

• 22 October 2026 recruitment notification — KUDSIT/821/RO1/2022 (PDF, 4 pages)
• Digital University Kerala — Careers and current notifications
• Digital University Kerala — Apply Online portal

Identification check: Use job codes AIE/102026/821 and PS/102026/821 and the 22 October 2026 date when selecting the current notice. A previous CDTC advertisement exists under a similar underlying university file reference, but its job codes and eligibility requirements differ from this recruitment.