Being an academic institution of higher learning, the primary goal of JNCASR is to produce well trained Ph.D. and Master of Science students. The research at JNCASR is highly interdisciplinary and collaborative in nature, often leading to translational activities involving industries as well as incubation of startups. Besides core researchers, visiting scientists, teachers and students also contribute in its activities. Research at the Centre is carried out in Units which are divided based on primary research focus.
Topics of research range from nanomaterials, nanodevices, solid state chemistry, high performance computing, porous materials, glass transition, active matter, etc. in Material Science; supramolecular chemistry, chemical biology, organocatalysis, antimicrobial therapeutics, solid state inorganic chemistry etc. in Chemistry; computational nanoscience, statistical physics, soft matter and condensed matter physics, biophysics, bioinformatics, theoretical evolutionary biology etc. in Theoretical Sciences; fluid mechanics, heat transfer, mechanics of granular matter, nonlinear dynamics etc in Engineering Mechanics; circadian rhythms and electrophysiology in Neurosciences; human genetics, virology, immunology, parasitology, metabolism, developmental biology, stem cells, biology of fungal pathogens, autophagy etc. in Molecular Biology and Genetics; and animal behavior, socioecology of Asian elephants, life-history evolution and population ecology in Evolutionary and Organismal Biology. The research outcome from these areas appear in peer-reviewed journals of repute. The Centre is well-known for its high-impact publications and patents.