Graduate / Distributed systems and parallel computing: SOP for MSc Computer Science [4]

Statement of Purpose

The world is moving at a fast rate. Things are changing at a rapid pace where computers play the main role. Computers are being used in unimaginable scenarios which range from finding a cure for World hunger to cracking the human genome riddle. The one magic entity which is making everything possible is software. Pieces of code put together to perform state of the art functions is no less a job than an artist trying to make that one famous sculpture that would change the lives of millions. It's an art form in itself, and I want to be an artist of this sphere.

That is what has driven me to where I stand now, facing all the hardships of life but never giving up on the dream to make my own sculpture that would shape lives. Lucky to be exposed to computer programming in very early years of my life, I did my first professional project, "Library Management System", for my School Library when I was only in my 12th Standard. With will and determination firmly in my hand, I joined the Bachelors in Computer Science at National University - FAST, which is one of the pioneers of computer education in Pakistan and country's most prolific Computer Science University. I have always adopted a rigorous approach in order to attain an in-depth understanding of the subject at hand. This has given me a broad conceptual basis which is essential for my career. My grades in the basic courses reflect my quest for fundamentals and my undergraduate transcript also complies with my knowledge of the subjects. I am of the opinion that research calls for a firm grounding in theory backed up by an in-depth knowledge of systems and implementation. The important courses of Discrete Mathematics, Data Structures, Algorithms, Theory of Computation, Compilers and Operating System have given me a good knowledge of these subjects. I believe that studies in the field of computer science requires logical and analytical thinking, problem solving ability, new ideas and consistent effort to back them up, all of which I am capable of. That's the reason I opted for research based project in my final year of under grad and developed a tool for Summarization and basic question/answers of documents using Natural Language Processing techniques and algorithms.

Distributed systems and parallel computing are the fields that allured me completely. As my studies at undergraduate level progressed, I became aware of the basic concepts in these fields and the importance of these paradigms in the current huge systems involving high end computing. Based on my knowledge and experience, I see these fields as the only cost effective solution for high end computing which has deep roots in current and future data intensive applications such as transaction processing, data mining, multimedia, bioinformatics (characterization of gene and protein), astronomy, weather forecasting and many more. I expect that the knowledge acquired and projects done during the Masters program will enable me to take part in the future developments in these expanding fields. In the area of distributed systems, I intend to get in depth knowledge on design and development of frameworks that facilitate distributed application development by impairing the application programmer from the messy details of parallelization, fault tolerance, data distribution and load balancing. In the area of parallel computing I intend to do research, focusing on closing the gap between the architecture innovation and parallel programming practices through design and development of frameworks that will help to harness the computing power of upcoming computers with multiple levels of parallelization and deep memory hierarchies. I believe that these are the critical challenges in their respective domains, which also means opportunities to break new grounds. To keep up with my future goals I have always tried to keep myself apprised in these fields through independent study of relevant books and research papers. Through these studies I became aware of the important programming models, frameworks and new paradigms e.g. MapReduce (for distributed processing of large dataset), MPI (Message Passing Interface), OpenMP (Directive based parallel programming model), GFS (Google File System) and OpenAFS (Open Andrew File System).

My profound interest in distributed computing, electronic commerce technologies and real time systems brought me to TPS (Transaction Processing Systems). Working for TPS has been an achievement and shall always remain a source of gratification for me. TPS, the largest e-payment solution provider and consultancy firm in Pakistan, enjoys the credit of developing and deploying high performance financial solutions in more than 35 countries in the world. TPS provided me with enormous opportunities to work on real time financial systems and nurture my skills in the fields of business process automation and electronic banking. My work warrants consistent research and development in the domain of electronic financial transaction processing. I design diverse electronic financial transactions such as cash deposit, credit card payment, utility bill payment, funds transfer, mobile top up, remittance, cash dispense, currency exchange, etc. Moreover my work at switch/middleware level facilitates my understanding of the architecture of modern financial systems and acquaints me with popular financial middleware and switches including VISA International, MasterCard, Euronet, CardPro, CTL, MNet, 1Link, QCash, etc. My international projects with Al-Fardan Exchange (Dubai), BICEC, BCI and Mucodec Bank (French Banks in Cameroon) etc enhanced my profound insight in financial applications. I also learnt various industry standards like ISO, PHX, PCIDSS, etc. TPS also helped me champion the art of effective business communication and project management.

Along with my secular studies and professional career, I have been an active member of various community institutions and scout troop. At present, I am a member of the KISWA- a Welfare Institution working under Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). I have designed and developed Accounting System for the KISWA on voluntary basis.

I want to pursue graduate studies in a program that not only equip me with the theoretical knowledge but also provide an equal practical exposure in my area of primary interest, as both are essential for my future goal. I am confident that with the knowledge acquired in the subject area and experience gained, during the whole program, I will be able to play a prominent role in the IT industry.

I fully understand the kind of dedication, perseverance and resolve, a graduate program calls for, and I am also aware that Masters Program in Computer Science expects very high standard from its students. Yet I am confident that I possess the motivation, intellectual ability, and the preparation to set out on this exhilarating and arduous path. I look forward to join this Masters Program in order to prove my abilities, gain new skills and come to the expectations.