‘Relied on YouTube lectures': After JEE setback, Meerut youth lands scientist-engineer role at ISRO

BAREILLY: After missing JEE Advanced by just two marks in 2021, Sanket Kumar, 23, has been appointed scientist-engineer (SC Grade) at the ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu.A native of Meerut, Sanket took a drop year and studied without coaching, relying on YouTube lectures and previous years' question papers. He reattempted the exams in 2022 and cleared both JEE Main and JEE Advanced.He secured admission to the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram, in aerospace engineering, one of the country's most competitive undergraduate programmes and a key feeder institution for ISRO.At IIST, while most of his 160 batchmates opted for propulsion or aerodynamics, Sanket chose vibration and acoustics, a niche field that studies how vibrations travel through structures and affect system performance. "I was the only student in my batch to opt for vibration and acoustics. That unconventional choice paid off during the ISRO Centralised Recruitment Board interview," Sanket told TOI.His 8.2 CGPA at IIST made him eligible for a direct ICRB interview, allowing him to bypass the written examination.

He appeared before multiple interview panels during the selection process before receiving the appointment offer on the basis of his provisional degree, he said.Before securing the posting, he gained research experience through a paid internship at Taranga Vibroacoustics in 2025. Earlier this year, he was selected by Synra Inc for a final-year research project in Japan, where he spent three months working on advanced engineering systems.IPRC Mahendragiri, where Sanket will be posted, is the facility where rocket systems undergo final testing before launch. "Every rocket that lifts off from Sriharikota is first rigorously tested at Mahendragiri," Sanket said.