SOP Sample for MSc Bioinformatics in UK - Fresher Profile

Statement of Purpose

Name: [NAME] Course: MSc Bioinformatics University: [UNIVERSITY] Country: England

Star Trek's Enterprise starship explored space: the final frontier. I loved watching that series. Carl Sagan famously said that space is the next frontier. Today, as I write this, I think that these words are just as appropriate to bioinformatics. The binary world of zeros and ones meet the world of DNA strands in a confluence that will usher in a new revolution and I wish to be in the vanguard, leading a technology that will serve humanity. Introducing computational analysis to interpret biological data opens up even more possibilities, by helping to understand the functioning of human genome, which can lead to enhanced discovery of drug targets and individualized therapy. As Bertie Wooster was so fond of telling Jeeves: "The mind boggles" but I am ready to take on this challenge. This course on Bioinformatics is for me, the next step in exploring newer frontiers.

# Academics

I did quite well at school, scoring 85.5% for the secondary school examination and 87.4% in the senior school certificate examination. I did even better in my B.Tech Biotechnology undergraduate studies at [UNIVERSITY] with an overall score of 88.2%. Education is not just a pathway to a career but a way to learn and refine one's personality, is my staunch belief. To this end I undertook various courses to enhance my knowledge and develop facets of my personality.

Among the various courses I completed:

- Hands-on training on NGS & Other Large Scale Biological Data Analysis - Bioinformatics-Protein Ligand Docking by [ORGANIZATION] - The Science of Success: what Researchers know that you should know by [UNIVERSITY] through Coursera - The Science of the Solar System by [UNIVERSITY] - Health GIS-Geoinformatics for Covid 19 by [ORGANIZATION] - Satellite Photogrammetry and its Applications by [ORGANIZATION] - C Programming Language by [ORGANIZATION] - How to Write and Publish a Research Paper through Coursera

These short term courses on diverse topics gave me critical insights into various topics and helped me to develop an understanding of how these are all related and connected and that knowledge can be best put to the use of humanity. The NGS course was particularly valuable insofar as I learnt how to use databases like ENA, PubMed, Cytoscape, SRA, KEGG and STRING. I used this skill in my final year dissertation project on Gene Expression Regulation in the Context of Breast Cancer, at [ORGANIZATION]. Here, I did rigorous screening to identify relevant studies using SRA and PubMed databases, performed extensive sample curation, did meta analysis to find differentially expressed genes, did pathway enrichment analysis using DAVID database and did the protein-protein interaction analysis using the STRING database, to identify differentially expressed genes and hub proteins related to breast cancer. It was a priceless collaborative and learning experience for me.

I wrote a book chapter Biomedical Engineering in Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy, my contribution to the book Skin Cancer Pathogenesis and Diagnosis which was eventually published in [PUBLISHER], [COUNTRY] in August 2021. I learnt to correlate threads and draw useful, relevant conclusion through this work. I also contributed to the book Astrobiology and Space Medicine, deriving an insight into a different topic.

Apart from regular studies I have contributed to advancements in biotechnology and sciences. I have worked as a Manav Contributor at [ORGANIZATION], an initiative of [ORGANIZATION] and the [ORGANIZATION]. I have worked as a Research Assistant on a project on Anti Microbial Testing of Nano Particle Samples using Disk Diffusion Method. I was also a contributor as an Astrobiology author at [ORGANIZATION].

During my college days and thereafter I worked as an intern. My first internship was with [COMPANY], from June 2019 to July 2019 during which period I worked in the microbiological department and learnt the value of applying one's mind to analysis and to becoming methodic. From December 2020, till now I am an intern at [ORGANIZATION] where I have continued my dissertation project (Analysis of Gene Expression Regulation in the Context of Breast Cancer) to work on cancer gene expression regulation research project.

I am constantly trying to improve my skills and learn more. I have joined several workshops and seminars throughout my college days, such as the International Seminar on Stem Cells in Health Management, Workshop on Prominence of Animals in Research, Webinar on Machine Intelligence and others. Workshops and Webinars, however, can teach only so much. I am excited at the prospect of undergoing regular, professional, high level training in the proposed MSc Bioinformatics course at [UNIVERSITY].

# Why this program, this university and England

I considered several options such as [UNIVERSITY] but finally chose [UNIVERSITY] as the best choice to pursue the MSc Bioinformatics program. This program focuses on course work based on theory and practical assignments and projects as well as interaction with top flight industry professionals. I will gain in-depth expertise in learning and applying advanced programming languages such as R, Python, Unix, Matlab to analyse data. To digress a little, when I chose to pursue a degree in Biotechnology I had undergone a brief course on C programming language and statistical analysis, which brought out my latent love for this subject and helped me to decide on my journey in life.

Another attractive part of this course is group discussion and group projects. I am sure the "swarm mind" technique will help me to learn much more than I could do on my own. Above all, this course will give me a solid grounding in bioinformatics. I can use this along with my knowledge of biotechnology to work in the field of service to humanity. It will be a matter of pride and privilege to learn at the hands of masters like [PROFESSOR] known for his excellent work on "Building Bioinformatics Solutions."

[UNIVERSITY] is part of the Russell Group and it is known to provide a very high standard of education. Apart from topic expertise, I will also learn more through interaction with students and professors. It is a good thing for me that this university is located in England, a charming country known for excellent mix of diversity of cultures, sophisticated mores and, on top of it, excellence in academics. I will learn a lot and acquire polish during my brief stay in [CITY].

I hope to do the university proud with my studies and take part in research to contribute to the knowledge pool even after I leave the university to work in India for my people and my country.

# Career aim

I see immense career possibilities in India in the field of Bioinformatics. I hope to get into research position where I can utilise my learning to work on advanced technologies that will help to improve health, prevent disease, identify DNA and genetic vulnerabilities and generally contribute to humanity's wellbeing. In about five years' time I should become head of the department and lead a team of researchers in development of solutions, such as cancer treatment. I will study more and, in ten years' time I should be at a managerial level, guiding a company or a hospital to find innovative solutions. It will give me immense satisfaction to look back and see that I have done something for humanity.

Please do consider and grant me admission.