An enormous enthusiasm for computer science and a large motivation to confront difficult long-term problems: these are the two qualities that best describe the approach I have taken towards my academic life. First as a student, and now as a research and teaching assistant, I have always been strongly drawn to the combination of logic and creativity that computer programming entails.
My interest in computer science began as an undergraduate student, after I had the opportunity to learn basic programming in ANSI C and assembly language during a digital electronics course. Soon realizing that computing would become a major field of interest to me, I looked for ways to incorporate computer programming into a power-oriented electrical engineering curriculum. Pursuing this course of action for the remaining of my undergraduate studies, I successfully submitted a thesis proposal for the development of an open source Java-based Programmable Logic Controller, an exciting opportunity for me to devote full-time to computer programming.
My initial interest in computer science became a true passion after I enrolled as a M.Sc. student at the nationally renowned XXXX Institute, where I graduated with one of the highest grades in the history of the program. One experience from the program that I hold in high regard was attending Data Structures and Algorithms lectures under Professor XXXX. I was particularly captivated by the complexity of the subject and the difficulty of the assignments, and I used to stay up until late hours working out efficient and elegant solutions. This motivation rendered its fruits, and I was honored when the professor selected some of my solutions and test cases as benchmarks for future semesters. The experience taught me that in order to excel in computer programming, one not only needs a solid mathematical background, but also a large amount of creativity.
Thanks to my performance as a graduate student, I was able to take my enthusiasm for computer science one step further, when I was invited by senior faculty members to join the institute as a research assistant and academic fellow. In this position, I have worked on several long-term multidisciplinary projects (including two sponsored by the NSF) under the guidance of Professor XXXX and in collaboration with professors XXXX and XXXX from the University XXXX, USA. My main area of research at the institute has been machine learning, specifically surrogate modeling and classification, and I have become strongly interested in this area as a result. Among other accomplishments, I had the joy of writing a published paper in surrogate modeling, which was a valuable introduction for me to the peer-review process and the importance that effective communication has on research.
As a research assistant I have always pursued projects that are challenging and that require the combination of various disciplines. A good example was my master thesis, which consisted in the implementation of an optimal control strategy to maximize net present value in oil production processes. This was a particularly challenging work for me, because it dealt with a topic (i.e., oil reservoir simulation) that was completely unrelated to my academic background and which I had to become familiar with largely by myself. The project also required the solution of several technical issues, and a few times during its development I had to deal with approaches that did not work, thus having to go back to the drawing board. Nevertheless, thanks to this arduous process I developed a perseverance and patience that has proven immensely valuable during my years doing research.
My primary areas of interest in research are machine learning, scientific computing and robotics. In particular, having worked on the machine learning area for several years, I am aware of the vast range of applications in which this discipline plays an important role and the opportunities it presents for multidisciplinary research. For instance, I have worked on machine learning applications in two largely unrelated fields: biomechanics (surrogate modeling of contact forces in a knee implant) and oil production (neural-network based control of water injection rates), an experience that has given me first-hand knowledge on the suitability of machine learning techniques for the solution of diverse real-world problems. Thus, being aware of its importance in today's data-driven world and the difficult nature of its core scientific problems, machine learning is an area of research that intrigues me deeply.
After years of rewarding experience in computer science research, I want to extend my education such that I can contribute to the state of the art in the field. I have chosen XXXXX's Department of Computer Science as the proper place for my Ph.D. studies because, besides being home to some of the greatest innovators in the field, many of the research that is currently being held there is aligned with my scientific interests and academic background. In particular, I am strongly motivated by the work of Professor XXXX on distributed probabilistic inference, and Professor XXXX work on image understanding, which are breaking the boundaries of the machine learning arena. I also have substantial interest in collaborating in the development of autonomous vehicles such as XXXX project, a remarkable area of study that I find highly appealing on a personal level.
I am confident that my academic background, both as a student and as a research assistant, gives me a solid foundation to contribute to ongoing research projects at XXXXX. I am also aware of the high responsibility that an acceptance to this world-class university will entail and I would hold this honor with the highest commitment to hard work.
Nice job, Luis! Let's intensify that intro even more by making the essay start with the word ENORMOUS!
An Enormous enthusiasm for computer science and a large...
... motivation to confront difficult long-term problems associated with ______ (what problems?): these are the two...
... graduated with one of the highest grades in the history of the program. -------very impressive! What if you include the age of the program (i.e. one of the highest grades in the 43 year history of the...)
Keep the tense consistent for a nice style:
As a research assistant I have always pursued projects that were...
challenging and that required the combination of various disciplines.
In particular, I am strongly motivated by the work of Professor XXXX on distributed probabilistic inference, and Professor XXXX work on image understanding, which are breaking the boundaries of the machine learning arena. ---------This part is very good, but only if you add a sentence that tells what you think about it and what you intend to do.
:-)
Already, you have done well with this!!
