IIT Bombay has advertised 20 ad hoc counsellor positions for its Flourishing Hub, with the institute seeking to strengthen mental-health support for a campus of around 14,000 students after the death by suicide of a second-year BTech student. The positions include 16 student counsellors and four senior counsellors, with joining possible as early as October 15.
The recruitment is part of a series of student-welfare measures announced by the institute since last week. The institute is also strengthening its Students’ Wellness Centre and has appointed an associate dean to oversee student welfare, according to the Times of India report.
The advertisement indicates that the counsellors will provide psychological counselling to students through the Flourishing Hub. IIT Bombay has sought candidates with experience working with adolescents and young adults, preferably in residential academic institutions, as well as experience in handling crisis cases.
The proposed appointments follow protests by students who questioned the adequacy of mental-health support on the Powai campus. The recruitment notice does not specify how long the ad hoc appointments will continue or whether the positions will later be converted into permanent posts.
The division between student counsellors and senior counsellors suggests that the institute is seeking both additional frontline capacity and experienced professionals to handle more complex or crisis-related cases. However, the available information does not establish how the 20 positions will be distributed across hostels, departments or other student-facing services.
For students living on a residential campus, access to counselling depends not only on the availability of professionals but also on how quickly students can reach them, whether crisis support is available outside regular working hours and how referrals are managed. IIT Bombay’s recruitment notice specifically refers to crisis-handling experience, but it does not provide details of the proposed operating hours, emergency response arrangements or staffing levels at the Students’ Wellness Centre.
The institute’s actions also place its student-welfare system under closer scrutiny. The appointment of an associate dean and the expansion of counselling staff indicate that responsibility for student support is being given greater administrative emphasis following the student’s death. The measures are being announced in the context of student demands for stronger mental-health support rather than as part of a previously stated long-term staffing plan.
The immediate milestone is the proposed joining date of October 15 for the new counsellors. Further details on the appointments, the functioning of the Flourishing Hub and the institute’s broader student-welfare framework will determine how the expanded staffing is implemented across the campus.
