Motivation Letter for a PhD scholarship in Chemical Engineering in catalysis.

Letter of motivation

Hi, i would like if you sent me some suggestions for my motivation letter. I am applying for a scholarship in this foundation in Portugal.

I, ______, having obtained a masters in Chemical Engineering granted by Instituto Superior Técnico would like to apply for a PhD scholarship by FCT.
My decision for applying for a PhD is because of my long-term interest in the field of chemical engineering, as well as my passionate desire to contribute to the development of new, innovative, advanced, sustainable catalyst and catalytic systems to tackle modern-day challenges such as global warming, by converting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and avoiding their emission to the atmosphere.

When I first started my journey as a Chemical Engineer student, I had some foresight into how important chemistry and engineering would be to advance scientific research/innovation in numerous scientific communities and industries. Now with the path the modern world has taken, Chemical Engineering has never been more relevant to the progress of everyday life

During my studies in my degree, I became fond of the atmosphere of the working laboratory environment and the importance of a Catalyst and its impact on the industrial process. In my masters, I specialize in petrochemistry, system optimization and control, and homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts.

I've completed my master thesis on the investigation field, namely the catalytic field, having and published my thesis named "Síntese e catalisadores de Au(III) e sua aplicação em reações de oxidação" whose presentation was graded a 19/20 values. This work, I believe, shows my dedication, work ethic and passion for this topic, as well as my strengths in finding better catalytic solutions, a willingness to research metals that are rarely used during this process and other reactions that are barely explored as of yet and how I respect scientific research. It's for these reasons that I selected it as my representative document.

I've gained many skills and knowledge during the making of my thesis and, later, as a researcher with a grant. I've acquired skills in the synthesis of ligands including C-scorpionates, metal complexes, on catalytic systems of oxidation reactions, on the synthesis of materials like mesoporous silica and on immobilization of metal complexes as well as nanoparticles into supports. I also performed analyses using a variety of techniques, namely, FTIR, NMR, BET, cyclic voltammetry, SEM, TEM, GC, GC-MS and UV-Vis.

My professional goal is, most of all, to be a lecturer, a researcher, and a consultant in the field of homogenous and heterogeneous catalysis and this PhD scholarship will provide me with the necessary knowledge and capacities to achieve my dream, since I will be working under two brilliant and exceptional institutions, having the mentorship of two extremely successful scientists in their respective fields. During this PhD, I will continue to gain more knowledge and nurture my curiosity/competencies on the synthesis and the heterogenization of metal complexes, catalytic systems that can further change problems such as industrial pollution, like the emission of volatile organic compounds. My input on this field will focus on new metal complexes and using simpler methods to heterogenized them, in order to make them reusable and suitable for an industrial environment. Additionally, I will conduct research into the selective conversion of pollutants such as toluene and xylene into non-toxic organic compounds with a high market value.

With my reasons, motivations and background laid clear now, I humbly wish you would consider my place in the scholarship so I can pursue my career, passion, and dream.

There are just a few paragraphs that should be taken out because these apply more to the statement of purpose rather than the motivational letter. Without knowing if these paragraphs are required by the writing instructions, I would have to say that paragraphs 4 and 5 do not portray a motivation in the sense of the word and as needed in the application. If you change the word "goal" to "motivation" in paragraph 6, the presentation becomes stronger as the professional and forward thinking element of your motivation becomes clearer and more applicable to the letter. The letter becomes much more motivational in content once the 2 paragraphs I mentioned earlier are removed. It becomes more of a motivational letter rather than a confused statement of purpose.

Thank you for the feedback @Holt
Paragraph 4 and 5 should be put in the letter because I need to show the background as a scientist and skills and why I choose my thesis for my representative document.