Statement of Purpose for apply in PhD Program
This statement delineates my whole life- my passion, motivation and every path I chose to attain my goal. My aspirations for doing research on developing techniques for modeling and simulations of materials have directed me towards the Department of Mechanical Engineering of The University of British Columbia. Obtaining my Ph.D. under the supervision of the brilliant minds here like Dr. X facilitated by excellent resources has been a long cherished goal of mine.
My motives to obtain the Ph.D. degree certainly become stronger after graduation. Keeping track of the ongoing researches around the world from my undergraduate life, my heart has desire to find more opportunity to devote me in research. The material world; which is on the verge of a breakthrough, charms me remarkably and I desire to be a part of this journey. My grounds become stronger when I joined as a teacher assistant (Lecturer) at my university, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in May, 2017. Along with teaching the students and interacting with them, the excitement of sharing knowledge with them, keeping tracks with the ongoing researches drives me forward to pursue the Ph.D. degree. The hunger for knowledge from the theoretical developments to the experimental verification, I find myself enthusiastic in understanding scientific problems and finding their solutions. I believe that a Ph.D. degree bestows a person with responsibilities towards his community and the field of his specialization. Should I be able to earn the Ph.D. degree, I intend to serve the scientific community being an academician who can direct the curious and talented young souls in the right way. Such a role will help me fulfill my responsibilities as well as keep me in the pursuit of advanced research and knowledge which I truly desire.
Multiscale material modeling to capture both the macroscopic material response and the underlying nanoscale physical mechanisms amaze me. In my endeavor to have a proper understanding of them, I ended up in the top most engineering university of Bangladesh, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). Being in the top 2% of students (4th in 186 Students) during B.Sc. and with a C.G.P.A. of 3.92 in both B.Sc. and M.Sc. indicated my interest and motivation to study in the Mechanical Engineering department with outstanding contemporaries. My undergraduate life instilled in me the foundation for having a strong concept of how to do researches and the way they work. In my M.Sc., I worked on a combined experimental and computational method for study of electro-mechanical properties of manganese-based nanocomposites (rGO-MnO2) for supercapacitors. The physics behind the energy storing in supercapacitor is the formation of double layer of ions near electrodes and the optimum electrode design has been studied in this research project to achieve the highest energy density at lowest cost. The experimental analysis has performed using Chronopotentiometry, Cyclic Voltametery, SEM and simulation analysis using LAMMPS to study the molecular dynamics of the electrode-ion interactions. In depth analysis using molecular dynamic (MD) simulation method has performed to understand the atomistic configuration of existing rGO-MnO2 structure and to improve the nanocomposite electrode structure for better performance. Our study suggests an improved design of rGO-MnO2 nanocomposite electrode by adding nano slit-pore in a particular way which can be called 'nano slit-pore' model. Recently, I submitted my work on the journal. Later, I also involved in another research project on performance analysis of earth pipe cooling system. The problem was designed in ANSYS finite element software where focus has been given on ensuring uniform dispersion of the incoming cooled air over the domain and presents a relevant parametric study to highlight that the efficiency of the EPC can be significantly improved through the proper utilization of turbulators near the inlet. A part of this work of mine was published in EDP Sciences in November 2018 and also submitted a journal paper on International journal on sustainable engineering (on review). In my Undergraduate, I worked on Computer modeling of fire smoke movement in multizone structure using two open source platforms (CONTAM, FDS). In this work, smoke propagation in a generic multistoried garment factory building in Bangladeshis has been modeled and investigated in detail to examine the safe operation of the occupants in case of fire. My undergraduate thesis work was published in AIP conference proceedings in June 2017. Now, along with taking Lab sessional and helping the professors in the classes, I am also helping 5-6 undergraduate students in their research. Balancing between my interests in both research and teaching, I worked doubly hard to keep myself going simultaneously in both fields.
In my academic career, I have obtained scholarships like Dean's List for 4 consecutive years in BUET, University Merit for 4 consecutive years in BUET and Board Scholarships in S.S.C., H.S.C. which are the proof of my academic excellence. Sometimes many students failed to balance between curricular and extracurricular activities. In my view, both hold the equal amount of importance and so I have devoted sufficient time to build up a strong extracurricular profile. I am successfully achieved the Gold Award from The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award and now I am working as an award leader of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Foundation Bangladesh and trying to motivate undergrad students to involve in various life-related activities through this award program. I was also the Financial Secretary at BUET Self Defense Club and learned and promoted Kung-Fu among students. Also, I had been participated several Model United Nations conferences and worked as a member at United Nations Youth and Students Association of Bangladesh (UNYSAB). I am confident that all these qualities will help me thrive in the multicultural and diverse community of University of British Columbia.
Although I completed my undergraduate education at the most premier engineering institute of Bangladesh, the environment in a third world country is always not the most conducive for research. Research budgets are usually low and you mostly have to rely on your zeal and enthusiasm for research rather than financial benefits. Works on modeling and simulation of materials require a large amount of computational power which is usually missing at most labs. Therefore, simulations require a lot of time to complete and I had to spend many a sleepless nights at the lab to ensure that the simulations learn smoothly. Since postgraduate research at BUET (until the M.Sc. level) does not have any financial benefits, I had to do jobs as a teaching assistant (lecturer) the Department of Mechanical Engineering at BUET for the past two and a half years along with carrying out my postgraduate education and research. However, as I am an optimist, I look at the positives and I think that these experiences have taught me to manage my time wisely-an important facet to have to successfully complete a PhD.
I believe I can tackle any perplexing problem with an innovative perspective and solve it with determination. However, to attain true excellence, I require an atmosphere that stimulates excellence. In my journey from an artist learning scientific tunes to the maestro creating great symphonies of knowledge, The University of British Columbia is the orchestra I wish to be part of. This institution's impeccable record of producing leaders in technology inspires me to join this exciting scientific community, which will propel me towards my career goal of becoming a leading researcher and educator in the field of advanced technologies.