Hello,

Yes a chemical engineering undergrad can definitely get into PhD and that with brilliant specialisations.

PhD offered in India are of two types:

1. Direct PhD after B.Tech
2. PhD after M.Tech

The eligibility criteria for both is almost same i.e an excellent GATE score and you will need to clear an interview and submit an SOP as your application. This is the standard procedure followed in all the IITs, NITs, BITS,IISc and ICT for direct PhD. The forms are released from Aug-Nov (Winter session) and during Feb-May(regular session).

The field selection for PhD should be completely out of self-interest and talking to your guide/professor. I will give you a superficial overview about what factors you should see while selecting a topic:

1. Interest
2. Industrial feasibility
3. Future scope
4. Resource availability
5. Guide recommendation
6. Viability of the topic

The notification for doctoral programmes are released on the specific department's website so keep checking that.

Good luck, hope it helps!!