SOP Sample for MS in Chemical Engineering - Fresher Profile

Statement of Purpose

During a lecture on crude oil refining in my undergraduate studies, I learned that the drawback of this process was the associated carbon footprint. Another downside was the difficulty in mining the ore, even for sources such as coal to produce electricity. This intrigued me to explore the existing solutions to mitigate these issues. After browsing through several articles, I ascertained that the feasible option is to shift towards renewable forms of energy. The fact that they are inexhaustible and utilize ubiquitous sources such as solar, wind, nuclear, tidal, and others, to harness energy using facile processes fascinated me. I also learned that despite being the optimum choice, they are not commercialized due to certain impediments associated with its progress, of which intermittency is the chief concern to be addressed. Hence, electrochemical energy storage devices such as batteries and fuel cells are being incorporated into these systems. This field has an impeccable integration of engineering perspective with the blend of physical and chemical sciences, which encouraged me to explore this in-depth. When I comprehended that clean energy technologies have the potential to revolutionize not only the power industry but can also find applications in fuel, automobile, and space industries when developed, it instilled a passion in me to pursue a career in energy. The need to resolve fundamental intricacies such as the efficiency of an individual solar cell or the catalytic activity in a metal-air battery has widened the scope of research and is becoming the nuclei of the research sector. I aim to be a part of one such fraternity in alleviating these global concerns by building innovative solutions through profound research.

My experiences studying Chemical Engineering stimulated the need to pursue graduate studies to dive deeper into the field of energy to perform meaningful research. The vast sphere of chemical engineering strikes a balance between the chemical and physical sciences in theoretical and practical ways and furnished me a strong foundation in this field by constantly augmenting my analytical and computational skills through diverse coursework and projects.

My primary research interest is in developing efficient energy storage systems as they are promising to produce cleaner energy without any intermittency. The course on Energy Storage Systems exposed me to various methods of storing energy, in which batteries and fuel cells captured my attention. Although theoretically capable of higher efficiency, these devices exhibit large deviations in their experimental values. To probe into these technologies, I opted for the course Electrochemical Energy Storage and Conversion, where I discerned the working and characteristics of various batteries and fuel cells. It also equipped me with the techniques required to evaluate the performance of the battery such as cyclic voltammetry, charge-discharge profile and honed my laboratory skills. Having understood this, I commenced working on a project with my teammates where we are attempting to deduce the most efficient design of an air cathode of a zinc-air battery from literature by maximizing the three-phase boundary. In this analysis, we aim to increase the number of active sites to reduce the sluggish ORR/OER kinetics that adversely affects the air cathode of the battery. I was also selected for a research fellowship at [RESEARCH_INSTITUTION], [CITY] where I am undertaking my bachelor thesis on enhancing phosphate cathodes in sodium-ion batteries to deliver high energy density. It would offer hands-on experience and add to my expertise for taking up research in the future. These factors drive me to work on the methods to improve the design architecture of energy storage devices, thereby enhancing their performance.

I am also engrossed by solar energy due to its pertinency in countries like India, where we receive an optimum level of sunlight throughout the year. To obtain insights into this field, I undertook a course on organic solar cells, which provided wholesome knowledge about this innovation. I was enthralled by the interdisciplinary feature of this course that focussed right from the design of tandem cells to the scaled-up production of power. Through this course, I imbibed the need to perform a life cycle analysis to fathom the actual efficacy of the device for its application. This aspect also influenced me in another research project "Does shift to Electric Vehicles reduce Carbon Footprint? A case study: [VEHICLE_MODEL] vs [VEHICLE_MODEL]", where my teammates and I performed a life cycle analysis for calculating the total carbon footprint associated with EVs and conventional vehicles. The EVs were found to reduce the carbon footprint significantly. We discovered that it can be further reduced by substituting solar energy instead of coal-based electricity for its charging. We presented this paper at the [CONFERENCE_NAME] conference and were rewarded a second prize. As a part of my internship at [COMPANY_NAME], I devised a project on constructing a 100KWp rooftop solar power plant through simulation in the PVSyst software and attained a maximum performance ratio. This experience extended my perspective on solar energy and facilitated me to approach the modelling of a solar power plant. With this sound background and staunch interest, I believe that enrolling for a master's would enrich my knowledge and introduce me to the research prospects in solar energy.

My participation in extracurricular activities in my undergraduate had also shaped my abilities. I was the associate of two marketing teams at the departmental and at the university level. The stream of marketing galvanized my communication skills by adding the element of persuasiveness. It trained me to manage time and handle rejections well. I was elected as the head of the Technical team for [EVENT_NAME] 2021, the annual symposium of chemical department, where I organized several technical events. Through this experience, I realized my potential leadership and team-management acumen. I am convinced that these skills would espouse me to contribute resourcefully during my graduate studies.

I am aware that other than academic excellence, pursuing graduate studies in the field of my interest also requires persistence, patience, and critical thinking, which I believe I have acquired over the past few years by juggling my academics, projects, and extracurriculars during the COVID-19 pandemic. Having done such rigorous groundwork, I believe I am now capable of entering into the realm of a higher degree of education and research.

My bachelor's education has offered me a solid base and introduced me to the orbit of energy. However, my penchant for research in the field of energy inculcated the intense need to pursue a master's to delve into the subject and broaden my technical horizons. This would also provide me with practical exposure to energy technologies and would assist in realizing the empirical problems raised. After completing my graduate studies, I see myself as a research associate in academia or industry working on developing efficient energy devices. For the same, I am confident that the familiarity gained on dynamics of analysing and experimenting during my masters would continue to motivate me and tune my thoughts towards a realistic approach in devising efficient designs and models.