Dear sir/madam,

I am writing this email to inquire about PhD position under your supervision. I graduated as
a civil engineer (structural research) in March 2020 from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU)
in China with A in major courses related to my research field and an overall GPA of 3.48/4.0.
During my research here at SJTU, I worked on the modification of concrete constitutive
model to incorporate the confining behavior observed in concrete SCS panels tested at SJTU
laboratory. In my work, I made an attempt to extend the uniaxial stress-strain relationship of
concrete, and the Zhu/Hsu ratio to simulate the observed behavior of concrete in the experiment.
Steel plate behavior and interaction at steel-concrete interface was also examined.
After the numerical modeling of concrete, I want to advance my research career with a PhD
in a similar direction. However, with growing interest in data science filed, I want to implement
these skills in my research. Even though it will be a domain change, I have built a solid
foundational understanding of the subject. Application of Machine learning in constitutive
modeling would be an ideal topic. I am very interested in use of data science and machine learning
as they can bring the best out of any research. Machine learning has helped us achieve unprecedent
tasks such as self-driving cars, landing first stage boosters, smart SHM and many more. Being a
civil engineer, I believe that much more can be achieved with the help of modern advancement in
machine learning aided with tools like DIC/PT in the research methodologies. I have already
completed a course on Data Science "Applied Data Science with Python Specialization" prepared
by University of Michigan on an online learning platform called Coursera. To dive deep into the
realm of machine learning, I have also enrolled into the "Deep Learning Course" by Andrew Ang.
Besides my research work, I suppose I have some skills that might be useful to achieve the
project objectives while working with you. For a project on computational structural mechanics, I
wrote a Python program to solve 2D multi-bay frame subjected to different loading conditions for
deflections and reactions at nodes. I am also familiar with OpenSees framework and
implementation of new materials.
As a fulfillment for master's degree in civil engineering, I published a research article in
Journal of Constructional Steel Research(I.F. 2.65) entitled "Concrete Behavior in Sell-Concrete-
Steel-Panels Subjected to Biaxial Tension Compression". I also published a conference paper
"Poisson Ratio in Sell-Concrete-Steel-Panels Subjected to Biaxial Tension Compression” in the
conference proceeding in IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering.
Yours Sincerely,
Manish Prasad