My interest to start career in plant sciences. Cover letter.

PhD in plant biology application

Dear committee,
I am a M.Sc. graduate in Desert studies specialized in Agriculture and Biotechnology at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. My long-term objective is to serve humanity in a best possible way by utilizing my skills to achieve breakthroughs in plant biology to ensure food security. I am mainly interested in discovering how plant roots work to sustain agriculture and feed the world. It all started when I was a high school student, I read a biology chapter about pomato, a hybrid of potato and tomato by grafting. This sparked the interest to start my career in plant sciences. I followed my dreams by joining a premier agricultural university to pursue professional bachelors in plant biotechnology. When I started to learn about plants and their biology in my academic courses, I realized that they are much more important and amazing than I thought. My interest towards plant tissue culture motivated me to work on developing early in-vitro callus culture in two medicinal plants. In the course of learning, I gained skills in in-vitro techniques such as callus induction, aseptic maintenance of explants, plant regeneration and acclimatization in green house environment. I was graduated from India's prestigious agricultural university with immense theoretical and practical exposure in the field of plant genetics, molecular biology, plant physiology, biochemistry and tissue culture. This has cemented my interest to take up further research in the field of plant sciences. Further, I was inspired by Israel's achievements in agriculture despite facing environmental challenges and decided to pursue masters in Israel. The curiosity towards seed biology motivated me to work on a project addressing a novel theme exploring the dead organs enclosing embryos affecting germination. In master's thesis project, I developed skills in proteomics, enzyme assays, seed germination assays, and semi quantitative gene expression analysis.

In the year 2016, I was assisting my friend, Zhou Kaining in her master's project on "effect of photoselective netting on root and shoot development of orange trees" in Israel. This gave me an opportunity to interact with her about her project and to know about the fascinating role of the roots in plant development and how it is affected by light. This discussion further sparked my interest in this field. Moreover, I am following the achievements of Hickey's lab in speed breeding technology of crops. When I came across this PhD advertisement in Hickey's twitter handle, I realized it was a crucial opportunity for me to pursue PhD in his lab building my expertise combining plant breeding and genetics. Further, QAAFI is a world leading institute in plant and agricultural biosciences innovations. Besides that, being a collaborative project would help engage with different labs and learn about roots in a broader perspective. This made me consider doing PhD in this project at this institute.

The bachelor degree in biotechnology gave me a platform to understand and acquired skills in plant biology and its application. My master degree helped me to develop key scientific and organizational skills, while the experience that I gained from working on the project has been an ideal preparation for a research career. Moreover, I enjoy working independently and in a team environment. I am self-motivated, hardworking with a quest and zeal to learn new technologies and undertake challenging tasks with a proactive attitude. Altogether, I consider that my scientific background suits the requirements of the project. If I were offered this position, I am confident that I will be able to contribute successfully to this project. I am looking forward to hear from you.

Godwin, this is an extremely long and irrelevant cover letter. A cover letter should only list bullet points of your work experience, talents, and skills that would make you a good candidate for a PhD slot at this particular institution. It should contain the following information:

1. The masters degree thesis research that you did in summary form and an explanation of how it is relevant to your doctorate study plans.
2. A summary of your doctorate study plan with an emphasis on the mentor program (if applicable) and training programs that the university offers its student.

3. A presentation of your study skills that have led to honor and recognition on your part from the academic institution or place of work.
4. A mention of your study objectives and professional goals in relation to your research and development interests.

Now, all of these information should be listed in bullet form. It should not be a narrative presentation because the reviewer doesn't have the time to read such a long letter. He can only scan for highlights and note them per candidate. That is why your bullet points discussion should be the focal point of your cover letter. Make sure it pops off the page by informing the reviewer in an easy to read manner.

Needless to say, you need to write a totally new cover letter. A shorter one with a better focus and presentation of your skills and talents as a student and professional. The cover letter should be a summarized highlight of your letters of recommendation, resume and transcript of records, which should offer a more in-depth look at who you are as a student and a professional. Don't go all the way back to high school. That is a waste of time and will definitely make the reviewer toss aside your application. Make a relevant and informative cover letter based on your most recent information alone.