The interview schedule for admission to the PhD program in the Department of Chemical Engineering is available here.

If a candidate decides not to attend the interview, he or she is requested to send one email to phd1 [dot] chemical [dot] iitb [at] gmail [dot] com mentioning the "RCL" number.

Information for PhD topics and interaction session

1. Available PhD topics for May2025 admission session: PhD topics available under various categories (TA, TAP, FA) are available here (also at the bottom of this page). Candidates are advised to go through them and fill their preferences on this google form (https://forms.gle/PdKYtdHxf1LueUYX7) before 11:59 PM, 26-Apr-2025. Instructions to fill PhD topics preferences is given here (also at the bottom of this page).

2. Interaction session with candidates: An online discussion session will be organized to clarify the queries/issues that the candidates may have on the admission process/topic selection (TA, TAP, FA, etc.) on Wednesday, 23-Apr-2025 at 4:30 PM. 

        If you could not attend the interaction session, refer to the link to get an overview on the admission process/topic selection.

3. Submission of project report: You have to email your project report to phd [dot] chemical [dot] iitb [at] gmail [dot] com on or before 26-April-2024. Rename your project report as “RCL____ project.pdf” (e.g. RCL202510292_project.pdf).  In the subject of the mail please write your RCL number. Please do not use this email id for any other communication. Here the project report refers to the project you have conducted during fulfilling your qualifying degree. If it was not part of your academic requirement, then type one document declaring that, sign it and send it to us following the above mentioned procedure. If your project is not yet completed, write a brief description on objective, methodology, results obtained till date.
4. Verification of the documents: An online document verification will be conducted through whatsapp video call between 26-to-30 April, 2025. 
5. Presentation on the day of interview: Prepare 3-5 slides on your project/thesis/dissertation work. You should present in about five minutes, the objectives of your work, methodology used, key results and conclusions. 
6. Submission of presentation slides: You have to email your presentation slides to phd [dot] chemical [dot] iitb [at] gmail [dot] com on or before 26-April-2024. Rename your presentation slides as “RCL____ presentation.pdf” (e.g. RCL202510292_presentation.pdf).  In the subject of the mail please write your RCL number.
7. Interview: If you are shortlisted for an interview, you will have to appear for an online interview (Video Conference mode) through MS Team, Google-meet, etc between May 1 to 5, 2025. The exact date and time slot of the interview will be uploaded on this webpage on 29-Apr-2025.
8. If you need any other clarification, write an email to support (phd1 [dot] chemical [dot] iitb [at] gmail [dot] com).

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Application process for admissions to PhD program in the Autumn, 2025-2026  session has started. Please check the IITB admissions website for details. Information regarding the interview process and schedule is available.

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)

1. BE, BTech, ME, MTech or equivalent degree in Chemical Engineering. 
2. BE, BTech, ME, MTech or equivalent degree in any branch of Engineering, Technology, and Interdisciplinary areas. 
3. 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 exam as mentioned in the brochure, wherever applicable. Shortlisted candidates will be informed through the IITB application portal.

2. Stage-2, Interview: Shortlisted candidates from stage-1, will have to appear for an online interview (Video Conference mode) through WebEx, or Google-meet, etc between May 1 to 5, 2024. The exact date and time of the interview will be uploaded on this webpage.

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. 

For this, the shortlisted candidates must email their project report to phd [dot] chemical [dot] iitb [at] gmail [dot] com () on or before April 26, 2025. Rename the project report as “RCL_____project.pdf” (e.g. RCL202510292_project.pdf).  When emailing, please write an RCL number. Please do not use this Email-ID for any other communication.

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 interview have to submit preferences for the TAP and/or FA topics which will be uploaded on this webpage on April 21, 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 April 26, 2025.

Please visit this webpage on April 21, 2025 for updated information.
 

Admission Categories

Admissions to the PhD program of IIT Bombay can be obtained by qualifying under any of the following categories:

1. 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). 

2. 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).

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. External candidates (EX): Candidates sponsored by recognised government and private R & D organisations, such as BARC, DRDO, Reliance Industries, TCS, etc. 

6. 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