Dear Selection Committee,

With this letter I hereby would like to apply and state my motivation for the travel
grant the the VBC Student Symposium. I appreciate this opportunity to introduce
myself to the members of the selection committee and I consider this as a perfect
opportunity to support my application. With my educational background and
academic experience, I consider myself as a suitable candidate for this master
program.

As a masters student in Sweden, in a program solely directed towards research,

I came to believe from the very beginning that, to become a good researcher, you
have to build up an international profile, whereas this is by studying or working
abroad, meeting with other research groups or attending conferences. I find it to
be important to learn about other scientists work, explore their mindset or
methodology and build up collaborations; These are necessary steps in order
expand ones intellectual and spiritual horizons.

This conference theme is especially relevant to my research interests, and

therefore I can appreciate what an educational experience it would be to attend
this event, filled with experts in the field. More specifically, our groups research
aims to understand the function of DNA methylation in the biology of human T-
cells; I believe that many of the presentations, such as by Dr. de Laat or Dr. Ding
will offer valuable insights to our work, while others will feed my curiosity about
the mysteries of lifes origins and fuel my imagination about the applications of
biology in space exploration.

In addition, based on my previous experiences in similar events, both as an

attendant and a speaker, I strongly believe that my attendance to the conference
will benefit my personal development. I consider such events as a great way to
network with new people and scholars who inspire me, plus its a nice break from
the studies, allowing me to refuel and further motivate myself. Since my interests
lay in academia and Im very positive in moving abroad, I consider this
conference as a unique opportunity to explore future career possibilities within an
environment that I know promotes talented and creative people with innovative
ideas.

Thank you for your consideration,

Karolos Douvlataniotis