Graduate / SOP PhD Interdisciplinary biosciences. Methods to answer fundamental questions on how organisms work [12]

Hi I am applying for PhD in interdisciplinary biosciences. It is SUPER urgent. Please ignore the conclusion. I am still working on it. Thanks

One of my most vivid childhood memories is witnessing the emergence of an adult cicada from a nymph, thus solving the mystery of the cocoons that deluged my backyard every summer. As a child, this discovery gave me a first taste of the satisfaction that animal research can offer. As an adult, research gave me a sense of purpose that was nothing short of revelation to someone who has struggled with bipolar disorder most of his adult life.

Following my graduation with a MEng in Electrical and Computer Technology, I conducted for the first time interdisciplinary research in the biosciences as research assistant in the Digital Signal and Image Processing Laboratory of the University of Patras. My first task was to develop image processing algorithms for biomedical applications. I focused on filtering and segmentation techniques and achieved high accuracy in the detection of tumors in Magnetic Resonance Images (MRIs). I went on to work on the processing of electroencephalographic (EEG) signals and the efficient removal of unwanted electromyographic (EMG) and eye-induced artifacts.

Even though my experience at the University of Patras proved invaluable, I still had the feeling that I had not found my ideal research field. However, during my graduate studies towards an MSc at the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering of the University of Strathclyde, I read a book that had a great influence in the formation of my research interests. As a passionate, if amateur entomologist, I was intrigued by the Department's research on insect acoustics and proceeded to read Kenneth D. Roeder's seminal Nerve cells and Insect Behaviour. This book introduced me to bat-moth interactions, neurophysiology, and the potential to map motor behaviours on specific neurons. Roeder described his experiments with such contagious enthusiasm that I eventually based my MSc thesis on his hypothesis that moth wings have evolved to absorb the ultrasonic cries of bats. In order to test this hypothesis, I conducted a comparative study of the ultrasound absorbance between diurnal and nocturnal moths. Subsequently, based on Scanning Electron Images (SEM) images that reveal the porous structure of the wing scales, I derived analytical models that aligned with the experimental results. The thesis confirmed the hypothesis and received the top grade among all Master's theses in the Department. It is currently under revision with intent to submit a paper for publication in February. More important, the hours I invested in rigorous research for my thesis were the most blissful I had experienced in years. After a perennial struggle with depression that among others caused an extension to my graduate studies, I had finally found my true calling in the application of my engineering knowledge to the study of animals.

The Interdisciplinary Biosciences DTP is the ideal programme to pursue my research interests. Coming from engineering, the training during the first year is invaluable. Furthermore, I am offered the opportunity to be part of the world-class Animal Flight Group. For my DPhil project, one of my ideas is to investigate the mechanical impact of flight on the auditory system of a moth and test the hypothesis that there is an element of active tuning in the moth ear. Through my DPhil, I seek to gain expertise in neurophysiology and biomechanics and by the time I finish I hope to have fulfilled my potential as interdisciplinary researcher.

For the first few years following my graduation, I would like to travel and work in biomechanics labs around the globe. When I feel confident that I have made connections and obtained a global perspective of the research in my field, I wish to settle in an institution and begin to climb the academic ladder. My ultimate goal is to lead my own lab. I dream of it as a lab where neurophysiology, bioacoustics, biomechanics and engineering meet. There, I can continue my research as well train and pass my knowledge to the next generation of professionals, scientists, researcher, and, why not, Nobel winners.

I am excited to live in an era that technological advances offer the opportunity to study animals in such depth. As a DPhil student in bioscience with background in engineering, I will aim to provide a fresh approach and apply interdisciplinary methods to answer fundamental questions on how organisms work.