Dear Sir or Madam,

I wish to apply for the Master of Science in Geo-materials and Geochemistry at Ludwig-Maximilians-
University (LMU) for a number of reasons, including my keen interest in material sciences and
crystallography, in addiDon to the professional advancement opportuniDes this program can offer. As
a student of science from Australia, from the beginning of my studies I had heard of the excepDonal
reputaDon of German science educaDon. I was also aware of the compeDDveness of entry into
university programs which is why I was pleasantly surprised to be accepted for an exchange semester
in the last year of my studies here at LMU. I was impressed by the academic standard and research
programs, which is among other reasons why I feel the responsibility to further my experDse and
maintain the standard of excellence that I experienced previously through this Master program at
LMU.

In my second year of university I engaged in a physical and analyDcal chemistry course with a
Bavarian X-ray crystallographer by the name of Andreas Hofmann. Considering my interest in solid
state chemistry, Professor Hofmann recommended LMU to me for an exchange semester to deepen
my knowledge in materials science. The experience leN a long lasDng impression on me in terms of
work ethic and passion for the field. I was able to register into a full-Dme workload of Masters level
courses ranging from applicaDons of nanotechnologies to high energy materials. AddiDonally, I
undertook a research project involving a 10 step organic synthesis of a carcinogen incorporated DNA
adduct to invesDgate bacterial repair mechanisms. At each step, Proton Nuclear MagneDc Resonance
(H-NMR) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) were used to confirm the structure.
During the semester I remember feeling a profound sense of purpose and saDsfacDon and I knew
immediately that I wanted to conDnue my academic career at LMU here in Munich, surrounded by
like-minded students of science, well challenged, engaged and strongly moDvated to achieve our
goals.

Throughout my Bachelor program I successfully completed the necessary core components of

organic, inorganic, physical and analyDcal chemistry as well as elecDve subjects concerning
environmental chemistry and biochemistry related fields. The analyDcal techniques consisted largely
of IR-spectroscopy and NMR and furthermore the theory of X-ray crystallography and inducDvely
coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) were also examined. In the summer of 2015, a number
of chemistry students and I parDcipated in a mulD-faceted scholarship in which we were responsible
for updaDng the laboratories’ chemical storages to the globally harmonized system (GHS) and
producing media encouraging young individuals to pursue a career in science. Concluding the final
year of my undergraduate, I conducted a research project which aimed to develop derivaDves of an
ionophore known as Salinomycin possessing anD-cancer properDes in order to elucidate a minimum
funcDoning pharmacophore. Three out of four of the intended derivaDves were successfully
produced and confirmed by H-NMR before being sent to a biology lab to test their efficacy against
isolated cancer samples. The results showed that none of the derivaDves displayed any anD-cancer
properDes, suggesDng that the 3 dimensional structure of naDve Salinomycin is already the minimum
funcDoning pharmacophore. It was here that I was able to strengthen my independent problem
solving skills and criDcal thinking by applying the chemical theory, learned thus far in the program.
Moreover it encouraged me to view the negaDve results of Dme-intensive research projects through
a more posiDve lens, much like a quote from Thomas Edison,
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

Shortly aNer graduaDng from Griffith University with my Bachelor of Science, I was fortunate to gain
successful employment as a quality control chemist with Mylan Australia, an internaDonally
renowned pharmaceuDcal company. I received an eleven month contract subsDtuDng an employee
who had recently gone on parental leave. The posiDon provided me with experience conducDng
analysis of generic pharmaceuDcals using a variety of methods such as high-performance liquid
chromatography (HP-LC) and UV- spectrophotometers. The analysis consisted of quanDtaDve assays,
impurity and water content tesDng. Samples from packaged pharmaceuDcals would be prepared
alongside pharmacopeial standard reference material in order to establish a calibraDon curve. This
was used to quanDfy the acDve component or observe impuriDes when passed through a liquid
chromatography system measuring UV absorbance. Each product followed a slightly different process
such as, which wavelength the detector would read and the varying extracDon and filtraDon
procedures. Due to the heavily regulated industry, all analysis was to be conducted exactly as
standard operaDng procedures outlined and the tasks precisely documented. Analysts were also
responsible for conducDng invesDgaDons for products yielding results outside of specificaDon or
trending data parameters and for ensuring the correct handling and maintenance of the HP-LC
systems. Occasionally, this meant having to spend considerable Dme either analysing spectra for the
root cause of atypical results or trouble shooDng HP-LC system errors. Both of which were some of
the most graDfying challenges to overcome and I was able to leave Mylan with transferrable skills in
the way of forward thinking, effecDve team communicaDon and a moDvated aatude towards
problem solving.

While gathering experience at university and in my posiDon at Mylan, I believe I have developed a
strong scienDfic educaDon in terms of thermodynamics, kineDcs and analyDcal techniques. This
would form the foundaDon which can be built upon to develop further my knowledge in the field of
material sciences. Moreover, it is my non-convenDonal academic pathway that has granted me the
maturity and perspecDve with which I resolve to contribute my utmost to the driving innovaDon and
out-of-the-box research that LMU has produced for generaDons. Being part of this Master program
would equip me with the knowledge and experDse to not only saDsfy my curiosiDes but also progress
my academic career closer towards my goal of acaining a Doctorate to make valuable contribuDons
to the field. Which finds relevance, as Materials Science is being increasingly relied upon in today’s
society, demonstrated by the use of semiconductors in technology, metal alloys in construcDon and
polymers used for plasDcs and rubber. This industrial demand, combined with my long-Dme
fascinaDon makes for an ideal field of study and I would sincerely appreciate the opportunity to
expand upon my educaDon in the Masters of geochemistry and geo-materials at LMU.

Thank you for considering my applicaDon.