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Applicant: Rahul KhandelwalProgram: PhD in Biochemical
Engineering.
Statement of Purpose
I am a fourth year undergraduate student in the department of
Chemical Engineering atIndian Institute of Technology (IIT),
Kanpur. I am interested in pursuing graduate studiesat your
esteemed institution. This written statement elucidates upon my
researchinterests, background and career goals.
y interaction with the field of !iology began at high school
le"el. The physiology ofli"ing beings and their functioning
capti"ated my interest. The able tutelage of my!iology teacher
nurtured my interest on the sub#ect. $e always belie"ed in
presenting apractical perspecti"e of the material deli"ered during
a lecture. It was from him that Ilearned the importance of
understanding any sub#ect from a pragmatic "iewpoint. yfascination
with !iology continued after %econdary !oard (&'thgrade) and I
opted it as amain sub#ect along with athematics, hysics, Chemistry
and English for %enior
%econdary !oard (&thgrade).
*t IIT Kanpur, I didn+t allow my enthusiasm fade away due to
undergraduate studies inengineering. Through continuous interaction
with my elder brother, an orthopedicsurgeon himself, and constant
reading, I enhanced my knowledge on the sub#ect. *tpresent I am
doing a course titled %tructural !iology- offered by the !iological
%ciencesand !ioengineering epartment, as an open electi"e. uring
the course I gained deeperinsight upon the functioning at cellular
le"el. I was especially fascinated by the roleplayed by proteins in
go"erning molecular processes. The approach to drug design
hasundergone radical changes in the post genomic era by focusing
upon manipulating the/0 structure of the malfunctioning protein.
*part from in0depth analysis of proteinstructure and functioning,
the course also pro"ided an insinuation of how knowledge of
life sciences coupled with Chemical engineering can lead to
de"elopment of usefulsubstances by the application of biocatalysts
such as microbes and en1ymes. %ince!iochemical Engineering would
pro"ide me an ample opportunity to e2ercise Chemicalengineering
skills in life sciences, I am moti"ated to pursue a doctoral degree
in thisfield.
*part from !iochemical Engineering, field of Colloids and
Interfacial sciences alsostimulates my interest. *t present I am
doing a course titled 3undamental of Colloidsand Interfacial
sciences- under rofessor *shutosh %harma (epartment of
ChemicalEngineering, IIT Kanpur). 4earning how molecular
interactions at nanoscales can lead tosignificant changes in the
physical properties was an enriching e2perience. In particular,the
mechanism by which surfactants lower surface tension of the medium
on which they
are adsorbed grabbed my interest.
uring my !.Tech pro#ect, %tandard ispersion odel "s 5a"e odel6 0
study onpacked bed reactors , under r 7ishith 8erma (*ssociate
rofessor, epartment ofChemical Engineering, IIT Kanpur), I ha"e had
an opportunity to ha"e hands onresearch e2perience. The pro#ect,
currently under progress, in"ol"es theoretical study ofboth the
models followed by e2perimental analysis with different orders of
reaction inpacked bed reactors. The pro#ect has enabled me to gain
e2perimental skills coupledwith data analysis of the results
obtained. !esides this, constant interaction with h
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students in the lab helped me in impro"ing my research skills
and obser"e theirfunctioning from close 9uarters.
5inter *cademy '', organi1ed by ** :ermany, pro"ided another
platform forunderstanding how research is initiated and carried
out. articipating institutes were;ni"ersity of Erlangen (:ermany),
IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur and IIT :uhawati I was
among the &< students selected from IIT Kanpur from
"arious disciplines to participate inthe *cademy. The purpose of
the academy was to stimulate research aptitude amongundergraduate
students. Throughout the two week academy, I was able to interact
freelyand e2change ideas with distinguished rofessors of the abo"e
mentioned prestigiousinstitutions and appreciate how fruitful as
well as demanding a research career can be,re9uiring high le"els of
perse"erance and patience.
It has been aptly stated 4ife is what happens when you are
planning for it-. !iochemicalengineering is well poised to make
significant contributions to humanity. 4ookingforward, I plan to
pursue a research career in the field of !iochemical Engineering
incon#unction with constructi"e collaboration with the industry.
entally stimulatingen"ironment along with the independence granted
to thinking in research would be
in"aluable assets which would assist me in contributing to the
field.
*cti"e research being carried out in !iochemical engineering
especially in the areaof======================has moti"ated me to
apply to ;ni"ersity of ===========.The ;ni"ersity en#oys e2cellent
reputation coupled with the presence of eminent facultymembers. The
fertile en"ironment for learning and research would enable me to
nourishmy research skills and shape a career in the field of
!iochemical engineering.
*s a student, I ha"e always stri"ed to achie"e e2cellence. This
is reflected in the resumesent along with the application package.
y curiosity to learn and absorb ideas hasalways propelled me
forward. Through my analytical and research skills de"eloped
atundergraduate le"el, I belie"e I would be able to do #ustice to
;ni"ersity+s aspirations.
Thus, I submit this written statement with an earnest re9uest to
consider my candidaturefa"orably.
