1

‘The important thing is not to stop questioning’.

These words by Albert Einstein reflect the attitude that I have adopted towards
learning. Learning is a fascinating and a never-ending experience. The desire to
continue my quest for acquiring knowledge and more importantly, to apply it, has
inspired me to opt for graduate studies in bioengineering.

I have always excelled in academics in school as well as in college. After

securing fifth rank in the Science merit stream in Mumbai (among nearly 200,000
students) in the Higher Secondary School Examination, I decided to pursue
further studies in the field of chemical engineering. I joined the chemical
engineering course at the internationally reputed institute, University of Mumbai,
Department of Chemical Technology (UDCT). I could not have made a better
decision, for UDCT has served my purpose completely by providing me with the
knowledge, skills and vision required for research.

Currently, I am ranked overall second in a class of 80 students in the department

of chemical engineering in UDCT.

After completing my undergraduate studies in UDCT, I wish to pursue graduate

studies in an area of my interest, to take me closer to my goal of working in the
R&D department in the industry. My research interests are quite diverse and as a
thinking engineer, I believe that I should be able to handle any problem given to
me.

During the past three-and-a-half enlightening years at UDCT, I have been

fascinated by the various facets of chemical engineering. Being taught by
stalwarts in the field of chemical engineering has left an everlasting impression
on me and stimulated my thought process. I believe that today chemical
engineers have a tremendous opportunity to help define the next frontier in
bioengineering. The fusion of chemical engineering with biological sciences
provides a multi-disciplinary framework to address fundamental limitations in
bioprocesses. My chemical engineering background has provided me with the
knowledge and the tools, to help me gain a better understanding of living
systems.

I have always been attracted to the field of biological sciences. This is the reason
why I opted for biology in the higher secondary course. I have done extremely
well in biology in the eleventh as well as the twelfth standard scoring 96% and
97% respectively. The biological sciences course at UDCT opened my eyes to
new vistas in biochemical engineering. I enjoyed the course immensely and this
is reflected in the fact that I topped the class in this course, scoring 91 percent.
My specific areas of interest include biomaterials, drug delivery, protein
engineering and enzyme technology.
 2

I believe that there is tremendous scope for the use of biocatalysts in the industry
because of the advantages that they have to offer. They have selectivity and
efficiency unrivalled by man’s own creations. I would be extremely interested in
doing research under the guidance of Prof. Klibanov at MIT in this area. The
work being done in the fields of biomaterials and drug delivery by Prof. Langer is
impressive. Controlling the chemistry at the molecular level is one of the key
opportunities for the future development of biomaterials. The field of drug delivery
requires knowledge about fluid dynamics and mathematical modeling, which I
have acquired during the chemical engineering course at UDCT. I also think that
protein engineering has an exciting future. Nature has designed proteins
specifically suited for a task and humans are yet to understand the entire
mechanism of protein expression. Unraveling this phenomenon would be a
challenging prospect for me.

I think that developments in the field of bioengineering could have far-reaching

consequences in the immediate future. The exploitation of living organisms and
their components to create products and processes, with the clear advantage of
clean, efficient and safe technology is industrially attractive. Today, the thrust is
on the development of eco-friendly techniques, and hence bioprocesses seem
set to play significant roles in our lives in the immediate future. I feel that the
areas mentioned above will provide a marvelous opportunity to one who is
determined to do fruitful work and come up with innovative ideas. I would love to
pursue research in these fields but I think that adaptability is very important for a
researcher. I would welcome the opportunity to work in other areas.

My undergraduate course has provided me with a strong background in diverse

areas ranging from mass and heat transfer to physical and organic chemistry.
These years at UDCT have provided me with a holistic understanding of several
disciplines, which I believe is essential today because of the emergence of inter-
related areas.

Working for a Ph.D will help me channelize my efforts in the right direction and
evaluate problems in an independent manner. I wish to pursue graduate studies
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as I believe that exploring different
schools of thought will help me grow into a better engineer. Your institute enjoys
an excellent academic reputation and the wonderful work being done here
matches my interests. Also, the highly erudite staff combined with the
intellectually stimulating atmosphere is sure to provide an enriching experience
for me.

The bioengineering course at MIT is something I would really enjoy doing, for it is
an excellent opportunity to apply my chemical engineering knowledge to
biological systems. I am aware that pursuing research requires intellectual
capacity, dedication, hard work, ability to work in teams and 100 percent
commitment. I am confident that I meet these requirements. Given the
opportunity, I am convinced that I can do justice to all posed challenges.