Letters / Motivation Letter for Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Program in Mathematical Modelling (MATHS DISC) [4]

Hi, would you kindly give me some feedback on my motivation letter draft?
I plan to apply for MATHS DISC program and aim for Semantic Machine Learning (SML) domain.
There is no specific requirement stated on the website, except for this "Upload your motivation letter (max. 2 pages), pdf format"
Here is the link to the program mathsdisc.eu/
Thanks in advance for your time!

Dear Admission Committee,

With a background in biomedical engineering and deep interest in mathematical concepts of artificial intelligence, hereby I am writing to apply for the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Mathematical Modelling Simulation and Data Science for Industrial and Societal Challenges (MATHS DISC) program. I graduated from Universitas Gadjah Mada in Indonesia with distinction, achieving a solid academic record after four years of studying engineering, involving myself with mathematics classes and artificial intelligence course work which I am really passionate about. MATHS DISC presents a perfect opportunity for me to deepen my knowledge in AI, in a deeper perspective of mathematics.

Ever since I partook in artificial intelligence class at my college, I immediately realized that this is the field that I want to delve into. The interest got stronger once I chose automatic microaneurysm segmentation utilizing U-Net's family architecture as my bachelor thesis topic. In this opportunity, I had learnt a lot more about neural networks and deep learning architecture. It was challenging to complete the project, however I really enjoyed the overall process of learning, researching, and applying what I learnt into lines of code of the program. However, the most fun part for me was in understanding how machine learning and deep learning models really work. This curiosity had never ceased afterwards in my internship as an AI engineer intern, where I also specialized in the similar field, computer vision. Every project I was involved with led me to new architectures and models of machine learning and deep learning that always amazed me and spiked my curiosity, 'How to come up with such an algorithm'. YOLO v8 was one of state-of-the-art computer vision models with high performance and fast processing time at that time. Exploring through these similar findings sparked my motivation even more to become a researcher in this field. Furthermore, my aspiration to become a researcher is also fuelled by the research gap that occurred in Indonesia. Despite high enthusiasm for AI research in Indonesia, its global impact remains limited. I see this as an opportunity for future growth, one where I can contribute by developing AI algorithms suited for Indonesia's unique challenges while also expanding their impact on a global scale.

One of exceptional findings in the field of artificial intelligence is backpropagation which becomes the backbone of almost all deep learning models, including the popular LLM model, GPT. Backpropagation is heavily using Calculus as its main operation. Thus, mathematics, with no doubt, is essential in the advancement of deep learning. This is why I view the MATHS DISC program as a perfect opportunity to deepen my understanding of artificial intelligence by exploring its mathematical foundations. I have always enjoyed exploring mathematical concepts such as calculus and differential equations, as they form the foundation of AI. While I still find it challenging to understand some concepts in mathematics, I am deeply engaged with these subjects beyond just coursework, striving to understand their practical applications in computational models and machine learning.

MATHS DISC offers a perfect opportunity to build fundamental knowledge in a broad area of mathematics, including in artificial intelligence. Classes, such as Probability Theory from Universidade de Lisboa, Optimization and Statistical Learning from Università degli Studi di Verona, and Mathematical Foundation for Machine Learning from Universitate of Grenoble Alpes are what I believe are essential foundation that I should acquire as an artificial intelligence researcher in the future. Aside from the chance of gaining valuable knowledge in mathematics, there is also a meaningful privilege to gain a broader network as it opens collaboration with the students and experts with similar enthusiasm in mathematics.

In conclusion, I am highly motivated to gain valuable knowledge and new experiences through my studies in the MATHS DISC program. The academic and cultural exposure from this program will equip me with skills to meaningfully contribute to the field, even more to my home country.

Sincerely,
My name