Letters / PhD Cover letter - Health Sector - Research Group Position [3]

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis against HIV research

Hei.
I am applying for a PhD position in a research group that conducts ethnographic fieldwork in an African country to study PrEP among local people. Here is my cover letter (with a statement of motivation). All comments are appreciated. Thank you.

Dear Members of Search Committee,
I am writing to apply for the PhD position for the OOO project at the Institute of Health and Society, University of UUU as advertised on your website. I have recently graduated with a Master's Degree in Gender Studies from University of XXX, and I believe my academic background and work experience have made me a good candidate for this position.

I am excited about this position as it combines perfectly my academic training in social science research with my desire to pursue a career in sexual health. As a volunteer peer educator and a freelance writer, I have actively participated in promoting sex education for the Chinese youth for six years. I am fully aware of the importance of improving reproductive and sexual health knowledge, understanding, and outcomes for everyone. Through facilitating the implementation of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis against HIV (PrEP) in Country Y with ethnographic work, the OOO project not only contributes to the development of HIV prevention work in Country Y, but also provides useful insights for stakeholders who engage in educating people about HIV globally. I see the great value of carrying out this project. I would like to contribute to this project with my learnings from the Chinese sex education projects I have participated in and my academic training in gender studies.

I look forward to contributing to the OOO project with my learnings of promoting and learning sexual knowledge in a non-Western setting both as an educator and a researcher. In addition to promoting sexual knowledge, during my master's studies, I have conducted a four-month online ethnography to learn how young people view sex and learn about sex via social media in China. Departing from my online observation, my master thesis analyses a disputed Chinese sex education textbook in the context of Chinese sex education tradition and social transition. By presenting and interpreting the Chinese cases for Western readers, I have learned to do research between cultural contexts. Compared to my research in China, the OOO project faces a similar challenge, as we are about to conduct research in Country Y - a Non-Western country with its own characteristics. Therefore, it would likely be greatly beneficial to utilize my knowledge of Chinese sex education in the OOO project.

I believe my academic training in gender studies can help contribute to a more holistic understanding of the research topic with a gender perspective. As the OOO project studies PrEP among same-sex attracted men (SSAM), transgender women (TGW) and persons who sell sex (PWSS), who are often marginalized and stigmatized in Country Y, it is important to acknowledge that gender matters in this project. Our study participants' attitude and behaviour concerning sexuality, identity, and HIV prevention are influenced by local gender roles, norms, and dynamics, and this should be critically examined within the specific contexts in Country Y. For example, the stigma associated with SSAM is a gender-related factor that contributes to men's vulnerability to HIV. Therefore, I wish to adopt a gender-sensitive approach to address the male vulnerability to HIV in the OOO project.

Finally, I am confident to participate in the OOO project both as an independent researcher and a team player. Completing my master thesis has enabled me to comprehend large amounts of information in limited time and manage projects for meeting deadlines on my own; while working as researcher and coach in other research projects has taught me to reach out to a diverse range of people and organizations, and facilitate group discussions. With these capabilities, I am well prepared to embrace the research tasks, whether it is to build rapport with study participants and conduct ethnographic work on my own, or to collaborate with peers to produce nuanced accounts of the study participants' experiences with HIV prevention and write research papers.

I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the OOO project. With my experience in Chinese sex education projects, gender-sensitive approach to examine men's vulnerability to HIV, and capability to apply good academic rigor to my work, I hope to be part of the team for making the changes we wish to see in the health sector. Thank you for considering my application.

Letters / Cover letter for PhD position at Linköping University [3]

job application in the letter form

Hei, I have written a cover letter for a PhD position at Linköping University. Please help review my cover letter. There's no specific requirement for this letter, and I tried to write it like I'm applying for a job instead of a simple doctoral position based on my understanding of the nordic way of doing. Also I am not so sure if it's necessary to add my experience in relation to teaching. Your comments are much appreciated!

Dear Members of the Selection Committee:

I am writing to apply for the PhD position in Gender Studies at Department of Thematic Studies (TEMAG), Linköping University (LiU) as advertised on your website. Upon completing my Master's degree in Gender Studies at XXX University, I am passionate about pursuing an academic career. I believe my academic background and working experience have prepared me well for this position, and the doctoral program at TEMAG, LiU will provide me the opportunity to fulfill my goal.

With a background in Gender Studies and Communication, I have developed my research interest in gender, social media, China, and young people. Having studied in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Oslo and Canberra, I have gained the ability to conduct research between cultural contexts. Departing from a national online debate, my master thesis analyzes a disputed Chinese sex education textbook in the context of Chinese sex education tradition and social transitions, which was nominated as the best master thesis with gender perspective in 2018 at XXX University. In addition to applying critical discourse analysis in my master thesis, I have also conducted a four-month online ethnography for studying Chinese young people's attitudes towards sex and gender in my masters. I have presented my work in Norway, China, and Denmark. These experiences have taught me to select and classify findings into a coherent account, apply Western theories to interpret Chinese data in a critical manner, build rapport with people online, customize my communication for different audiences, and manage project for meeting deadlines. With these capabilities, I am confident to embrace a four-year in-depth study in Gender Studies.

For my doctoral project, I propose to study the thriving HPV vaccination service for mainland Chinese young women in Hong Kong. As a result of my previous study and work experiences, I have created a social media portfolio and established social network in the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta regions, that will enable me to conduct online ethnography and fieldwork in China effectively. As my research draws on the entanglement between medical technology and the women of China, it would nicely complement the ongoing research in gender and medicine at TEMAG. The collaboration between TEMAG and the Faculty of Medicine at LiU will allow me to acquire new perspectives for enriching and completing my research. I wish to collaborate and exchange with fellow students and scholars from different areas in the LiU Medical Humanities and Social Sciences Network. Further, I would be thrilled to work with Professor Ericka Johnson, who specializes in feminist science studies and medical sociology. Her metaphor of refraction in Gendering Drugs highlights the significance of discursive construction and contextualization, which has been inspiring for my research project. As she has experience in working on projects about HPV vaccination, I hope I could learn more from her, meanwhile, I can provide a non-occidental, feminist project at TEMAG.

Lastly, my previous work experience at YYY University has offered me the opportunity to learn about the design thinking pedagogy. My main responsibility was to take charge of the communications; besides, I have actively participated in all kinds of academic activities. I coached a student team in collaboration with ZZZ University for a social entrepreneurship project, facilitated several university-industrial collaborative workshops, and designed a hands-on course for students to do spatial design at . I am willing incorporate these pedagogic skills in the teaching program at TEMAG.

I believe that I can cultivate professional competence for my academic career at TEMAG, LiU, and my academic background and experience will meet your requirements. Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Graduate / Motivation letter to Graduate School of East Asian Studies, Free Univ Berlin [3]

PhD Programme of the GEAS application

I am applying the PhD program at the Graduate School of East Asian, Free U Berlin. Please help review my motivation letter. Your comments are much appreciated!

Requirement:

In your motivation letter you should provide strong arguments as to why you decided to apply for the PhD Programme of the GEAS and how this step fits into your overall career plans. Please keep the letter short (600 words maximum) and upload it below.

My Motivation letter:

As a master student in Gender Studies, I want to become a social scientist with a focus in gender and China in the future. For my doctoral research, I propose to study the socio-economic elements that has led to the thriving of HPV vaccination tourism between mainland China and Hong Kong. I think my research interest and topic match well with the research at the Graduate School of East Asian Studies, therefore, I strongly hope to apply to GEAS.

As a Chinese young woman, I have developed a sensibility for seeing how gender inequality influences our life over the years. Meanwhile, my academic training has enabled me to view the inequality from a gendered analytical perspective. When I studied at XXX University, I was trained to analyze the role media plays in constructing gender with a political economy approach. Wishing to further my knowledge in gender studies, I continued my study in Gender Studies at YYY University. There I was able to see gender within more different disciplines. By interviewing local housewives and sex workers, I cultivated insights into diverse social and individual interactions. I gradually developed my interest in women's living experience in relation to body, sexuality, and activism. After graduating from YYY University, I started writing articles about gender and sexuality for several Chinese social media platforms. It was then that I felt an urge to do more in-depth research on gender studies. Now I am doing master in Gender Studies at ZZZ University. My master project investigates how the grassroots sex education organizations have altered the current discourse on sex, gender, and sexuality in China.

During the process of carrying out my master project, I have made up my mind to do a doctorate and become a social scientist in the future. By conducting online ethnography and interviews, analyzing the data with a Foucauldian approach, I am confident to carry out a research project independently. In addition, my work and research experiences have enabled me to establish an academic network in the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta regions, which is helpful for undertaking research in China. I believe these experiences and resources will allow me to complete a doctoral project effectively. Furthermore, I hope to contribute to the current Chinese studies by taking gender as a central concern of the research. I regard research as a form of activism. By taking women's diverse experiences and perspectives into consideration, realizing the multidimensional power relations in shaping different women's experiences, my research will contribute to the well-being and emancipation of Chinese women. Quite many foreign scholars have been conducting Chinese Studies researches with a gendered perspective, and there are more and more Chinese young scholars joining this trend. I wish to become one of them.

For realizing my goal, I cannot imagine a better place to do a doctorate than GEAS. GEAS hosts brilliant researchers from all over the world, provides an interdisciplinary approach to examine the East Asian society, and offers students ample opportunities for collaborating with other research institutions. As my research covers different disciplines, I look forward to exchanging with fellow students and international scholars from other areas. Further, I wish to work with Professor Hansjörg Dilger in particular, as his researches explore the dynamics of the intersection between medical science, human sexuality, and institutions. I wish to utilize similar approach for my project. I believe that I can bring in diversity and innovation, and I wish to cultivate professional competence for my academic career at GEAS.

Thank you for your kind consideration.