Application process for admissions to PhD program in the Spring, 2025-2026 session has started.
The last date for submission of completed application forms (without late fine) is October 17, 2025. Please check the IITB admissions website for details. Information regarding the interview process and schedule is provided below.
Introduction
The Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Bombay, has a dynamic post-graduate programme with opportunities and strong emphasis on basic and applied research in a wide range of areas including several inter-disciplinary fields. This post-graduate programme includes a large number of PhD scholars who primarily contribute to the research activities of the department. The department recruits PhD scholars twice a year, in sync with our semester system.
Candidates with a Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Technology (ME, MTech, BE, BTech), or a Master’s in Science (MSc) are eligible to apply. Most candidates who apply have Chemical Engineering or Biotechnology background, but the Department invites candidates from other backgrounds, especially in the context of carrying out interdisciplinary research.
Eligibility
For admission to the Ph.D. programme in chemical engineering department minimum requirements are (one of)
- BE, BTech, ME, MTech or equivalent degree in Chemical Engineering.
- BE, BTech, ME, MTech or equivalent degree in any branch of Engineering, Technology, and Interdisciplinary areas.
- MSc in disciplines consistent with the research areas of the department.
Selection procedure
Selection for the Ph.D program will be through two-stage procedure.
1. Stage-1: Shortlisting will be done based on academic performance in qualifying examination (for example, BE, BTech, ME, MTech, MSc) and valid score of national level examination as mentioned in the brochure, wherever applicable. Shortlisted candidates will be informed through the IITB application portal.
2. Stage-2, Interview: Candidates shortlisted after Stage 1 will be required to attend an online interview via Google Meet (or an equivalent video conferencing platform). The interviews are scheduled to be conducted between November 24 and November 26, 2025. The exact date and time allotted to each candidate will be announced on this webpage in due course.
Interviews will focus on the following areas.
2.1 Project work: Candidates will be questioned on their projects done in Master’s or Bachelors as per their qualifying degree. You have to give a brief presentation on the day of the interview. Prepare a maximum of six slides on your project/thesis/dissertation work, which should contain the objectives of your work, methodology used, key results and conclusions.
2.2 Courses done: During the interview, candidates would have to mention their preferences of one or two courses they have taken in Bachelor's or Master’s program. Candidates will be asked fundamental questions from these courses.
2.3 Research Interest: The Interview panel may ask about future objectives and how the doctoral program will help the candidates achieve their goals. Candidates may also be asked about the broad areas of research they are interested in. Candidates should be aware of the recent status of research in that area. It is not mandatory that candidates have to pursue research only in that particular area. However, the purpose is to test their awareness and critical thinking skills in an area they are probably interested in.
3. Additional information for admission under TA, TAP, and FA categories:
Candidates shortlisted for an interview have to submit preferences for the TAP and/or FA topics which will be uploaded on this webpage on November 10, 2025 Even if one is interested in a TA position, providing a preference on a TAP and/or FA topic will improve his/her chances of getting an offer. Only those candidates having a JRF from CSIR, DBT or other funding agency are eligible for FA topics.
Candidates shortlisted for interview must submit their topic preferences in the Google form (link will be shared on this webpage) on or before November 17, 2025.
Please visit this webpage frequently for updated information.
Admission Categories
Admissions to the PhD program of IIT Bombay can be obtained by qualifying under any of the following categories:
Teaching / Research Assistantship (TA/RA): The best candidates who make it through our selection process are awarded IIT Bombay funded teaching assistantships (TA) or research assistantships (RA).
Teaching Assistantship through Project (TAP): Candidates are offered financial support originating from sponsored projects. These projects have a faculty from the Department as the principal investigator (PI), and selected candidates pursue a PhD (with that PI as thesis supervisor) in the given topic. The projects are typically funded by the Department of Science of Technology (DST), Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), etc. The student is paid scholarships throughout the length of the project; this could vary from 2.5 to 5 years. In cases where the duration is less than five years, IIT Bombay pays the student equivalent salary for the remaining time at IIT Bombay (i.e., up to 5 years).
Govt./Semi Govt. Fellowship Award (FA): Candidates have their own sources of funding via scholarships such as those from CSIR, UGC, DBT, ICMR, or DST-Inspire. After joining a lab in the Department, you will have to activate that scholarship. DST-INSPIRE fellow should check the institute policy as mentioned in point A.6.6 in Admission Brochure for details.
Project Staff (PS): The candidates are already working as Project Staff members at IIT Bombay. Candidate should check the institute policy as mentioned in point A.6.10 in Admission Brochure for details.
External candidates (EX): Candidates sponsored by recognised government and private R & D organisations, such as BARC, DRDO, Reliance Industries, TCS, etc.
College Teacher (CT): For candidates working in Colleges / Educational Institutes.
For more details, refer to the information brochure available on the IITB admission page (https://www.iitb.ac.in/newacadhome/phd.jsp)
Research Areas
The department is involved in a variety of frontier and traditional areas in chemical engineering research. More details and the list of faculty working in various areas are given here.
Biological Systems Engineering
Chemical and Electrochemical Reaction Engineering
Fluid and Granular Mechanics
Soft Matter Engineering
Process Systems Engineering
Thermodynamics and molecular simulations