Statement of Purpose of Nirjhar Ruth Ghosh

It has always been my inclination to pursue a PhD degree from my childhood when I was not even
aware of what PhD is. My parents sowed the seed of higher studies in me, and I cherished the desire
of obtaining a PhD as I grew up. Now I am focusing on some particular topics as my PhD research
interests including identifying the dietary and epigenetic causes of non-communicable disease
(diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease) and how to treat them, infant feeding practice,
childhood obesity prevention, and maternal health. To be more specific, my PhD aims at the study of
1) nutrigenomics so that I could be involved with nutrient-gene interaction research to explore the
epigenetic reasons behind obesity, diabetes, and cancer, 2) the influence of behavior oriented nutrition
education and physical activity to reduce the risk of chronic disease and to treat them, 3) relation
between infant weight gain and early obesity risk, and 4) nutraceuticals to improve human nutrition
and health.

My interest on diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and physical activity grew when my mother and
father were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease respectively. In both
cases, physician prescribed them regular physical activity which made me curious of the relation of
physical activity and nutrition with chronic disease. Physician also told that I am also at risk of type 2
diabetes and need to maintain correct waist hip ratio and waist circumference. These guidelines made
me interested to T2DM and CVD, and I took metabolic disorders on pre diabetic subjects as my
undergrad thesis.

I also developed an interest on nutritional epigenetics while conducting undergrad research. I studied
that genetic and environmental factors interact and produce insulin resistance and ẞ cell failure. Some
genes might affect ẞ cell apoptosis, regeneration, glucose sensing, glucose metabolism, ion channels,
energy transduction, and multiple proteins necessary for the synthesis, packaging, movement, and
release of secretory granules, and may lead to diabetes. From then epigenetics became one of my
main interests. Since it is a comparatively new sector in the arena of NCD research, there remains so
much to discover and learn from this area.

Undergrad thesis flourished my knowledge and practical experience of executing a scientific research.
I learned to make questionnaire, select population, collect and calculate data, think critically and
finally, as the team leader, I developed communication skills, learned to coordinate other members
and their activities. During internship, the patients of vitamin A, D and iron deficiency, glucose and
lactose intolerance, and cardiovascular diseases came across to me. This experience and the survey on
the pattern of exclusive breast feeding on urban working mothers taught me how the lack of proper
knowledge about nutrition makes people suffer from malnutrition, obesity, atherosclerosis, diabetes
etc. So I chose further studying on nutrition related disorders and their prevention to gain more
insights and whet implicit skills by which I could be able to help grow consciousness among people.

Here should be mentioned that during undergrad, I faced a severe family problem due to my father’s
suffering from coronary artery disease, which hindered my study and lowered my overall result
st
(Second Class 21 Position). But this incident made me enthusiastic about obesity and cardiovascular
th
disease too. Finally I overcame the hindrance with my persistency and gained First Class 30 Position
in MS. Also I could not have the privilege to work with cells, model organisms, and animal models
throughout my academic career due to lack of facilities, but I am confident enough to learn working
on cellular and molecular level if I get the chance.

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 Statement of Purpose of Nirjhar Ruth Ghosh

After completing MS, I joined VLCC (a multinational healthcare center) as a research officer and
professional nutritionist. During seven months staying there, my responsibilities were to find out the
etiology of client’s obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and related comorbidities. I learned to
assess their nutritional, physical and biochemical status, and build up nutritional guidelines for them.
This venture trained me up to organize diet plans considering client’s age, sex, physical activity level,
and medical condition. I also gained expertise on physical exercise, metabolic disease, and different
types of nutritional intolerances, and learned how to reduce the risk with proper diet planning and
regular physical activities. All these experiences would help conduct field research during higher
study, I hope.

Though this extensive job experience helped me grow the skill of critical thinking while solving
unusual nutritional problems and shape my future research endeavor; I needed to switch to textile
sector's comparatively highly paid job to support my family as the eldest child. Though I have been
doing this job for last five years, I don’t count this deviation as a drawback from my desirable course
of life, because it made me even more determined to get involved with the field of nutrition and to
grab probable opportunities. For this I am applying to the interdepartmental nutrition program of
University of X. It is worth mentioning that I have completed all prerequisite courses needed for the
admission into the PhD program including General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry,
Human Physiology, Human Anatomy, and Advanced Nutrition.

I chose the nutrition department of University of X because it is a very well-organized institution

which gives students the occasion to engage with cutting edge research programs on the track of
molecular and community nutrition. It is also the home of top-tier research scientists, who are
engaged with nutritional epigenetics, nutraceuticals, and maternal-child nutrition research. These all
intrigued me to apply here because it is a good match with my interests!

After obtaining the PhD, my plan is to complete post doctorate to be more specialized in the specific
research area, and then join the academia as a professor because it is the right place for me to continue
research. I would create research opportunities for the students who are from under developed
countries so that they could involve themselves to improve their country's nutrition situation. Also I
want to take pragmatic steps to execute the results of my researches to eradicate malnutrition,
reducing obesity and non-communicable disease related disorders considering gender, physical
activity level, and physiological conditions of mass people.

Finally, I know there will be hurdles while pursuing PhD, but I am confident enough to manage those
by my endurance, resilience, critical thinking and fast learning skills, and experiences if I get the
chance to start my graduate study at University of X in fall 2018.