Motivationletteressentials

AmotivationletterisoneofthecompulsoryrequirementsinmanyMasterandPhDprograms.Theword itself suggests that this letter should reflect your interest in the field as well as prove that your background/experience/education/achievements make you a suitable candidate for this program. It is good to begin the motivation letter by mentioning the place of birth and early education up till High school(IntermediateinPakistan);alsohighlightinganyachievementsduringthattime. One then needs to justify the field opted for first degree (Undergraduate/Bachelor degree) and also highlightingrelevantsubjectsorpracticalexperienceduringthatdegreee.g.coursesthatarerelevantto theprogramofapplicationorsomeinternship/researchexperience.Ifthereisanotherdegree,similar approach should be taken to mention it and then if there is a relevant work experience it should be mentioned. One must mention something about the university or the department or in case of PhD the research group;itshowsthatyouarereallyinterestedandhavedoneyourhomeworkabouttheplacetointend tostudyat.OnecanmentionageneralfieldofinterestincaseofaMastersprogramwithresearchbutif one is applying for a PhD one needs to write at least a paragraph (some programs ask for a separate research proposal, more detailed i.e.) about the intended research area, giving some background and alsobrieflymentioningwhatyouaimtoaddtothisresearchandthemethodologyyouintendtouse. Finally,aconcludingparagraphshouldstatethegeneralcareergoalandthatthisprogramcanenable youtoattainitandalsoyouareconfidentthatyouarewellequippedtohandlethisprogram. As an example, please see a motivation letter that I recently sent for a PhD position, it covers all the abovementionedprograms,feelfreetoaskanyquestionsinthisforumandkindlyspreadtheword,so thatmorepeoplecanbenefitfromthisforum. BestRegards, KashifMAwan

Motivationletter Applicant:KashifMasudAwan
I was born in Karachi, the financial hub of Pakistan. I had my early schooling in one of the renowned institutes of the city Bahria College. In my G.C.E. Ordinary level examinations I toppedin myschoolandearnedascholarshipfortwoyearsG.C.E.Advancedlevelsprogram, equivalent to High School in American education system. I had interest in science and technologyfromearlydayssoIselectedPhysicsandMathematicsinmyAdvancedlevelsasI aimed at entering technological studies after that. I earned first position in my school in Advancedlevelsaswellandwasabletosecureadmissioninthetoptechnologicaluniversityof Pakistan:NationalUniversityofScienceandTechnology.Ioptedforelectronicsengineeringas mymajorsinaBachelorsofEngineeringprogram. IdevelopedspecialinterestinthefieldofsemiconductordevicePhysicsduringthisprogram.I did an internship in Pakistan International Airlines electronics and communication workshops anditwasahighlyenrichingexperienceregardingtechnicaloperationsofaviationindustryand the complex systems in an aircraft. In my final year I took up my Bachelors Thesis on signal processing for radar trainer. I further got a one year internship project for establishing communication network between mobile stations for SUPARCO, which is the national space agency of Pakistan and recently launched Pakistans first communication satellite into space. Experience at SUPARCO was a good starting point towards a research based career ahead. I finishedmyBachelorsprogramwithaC.G.P.A.of3.68outof4.0secondbestintheprogram. MyprojectforSUPARCOwasasuccessandIwasofferedapositionasAssistantManagerthere. IworkedinSUPARCOforoneandahalfyearsontelemetrycommunicationsystems,encoders, decoders,displaysandsolarpanelsformobilestations.IcameacrosstheprestigiousErasmus MundusscholarshipofferedbyEuropeanUnionfortalentedstudents.Idecidedtoapplyforthe mastersscholarshipprogramsofErasmusMundustopursuemygoalofaresearchcareer.To improve my credentials for these scholarships I qualified IELTS with 8.0 out of 9.0 and G.R.E. generalwithascoreof1380.IappliedtothreeprogramsandwasthefirstpersoninErasmus MundusScholarshiphistorytohavebeenofferedscholarshipinallthreeprograms.Ioptedfor Master in Photonics (EMMP) program as it could lead me toward my interest in photonics research. IspentmyfirstyearofEMMPprograminScotlandstopuniversities:St.AndrewsandHeriot Watt. In StAndrews I had the privilege of studying under world renowned researchers like Thomas F. Krauss and Wilson Sibbett. The teaching and laboratory facilities in both institutes wereremarkableandIhadaveryfulfillinglearningexperience.HereItookcoursesrelatedto LaserPhysics,semiconductorPhysics,optics,fiberopticcommunications,displaysandphotonic laboratories. Near the end of the first year EMMP offers thesis topics for selection. I came acrossonethesistopicinthefieldofsolarcells;itwasrelatedtonanowirebasedsolarcellsand was offered in KTH ICT School. I opted for this Master thesis under Anand Srinivasan to

investigatenanostructuringofGaAsusingcolloidallithographyanddryetchingforphotovoltaic applications. DuringthisthesisIhadhandsonexperiencewithmanyfabricationandcharacterizationtools and also utilized Lumerical (commercial FTDT software) for simulating effect of different geometries and dimensions on total reflection from the surface of GaAs. Here I had the privilege of working in the Electrum laboratory, one of the leading semiconductor fabrication facilities of Europe with a wellequipped clean room. Here I had handson experience in semiconductor fabrication techniques like dry etching, wet etching, plasma cleaning, lithography, deposition and characterization tools like scanning electron microscopy, spectrophotometer for total reflectivitytransmissionabsorption measurements, semiconductor device characterization tool for IV and CV measurements, photo luminescenceandRamansetupstoobserveopticalqualityofthematerial.Thisthesiswork culminatedinsuccessfulfabricationofGaAsnanopillars,wellcontrolledandwithsmoothside walls. Further post processing on these nanopillars resulted in photoluminescence enhancement of over 12 times compared to asetched nanopillars, such enhancements have neverbeendemonstratedbeforeandtoachievethemanovelprocesswasdeveloped.Partof thisworkisalreadyacceptedforEuropeanOpticalSocietyAnnualMeeting(EOSAM)thisyear andonejournalpaperisinwriting. Iaminterestedinpursuingmydoctorateintheareaofbiosensingusingringresonatorsdueto my interest in photonics and biology. This field also provides many exciting possibilities of intelligent design to improve the sensing and enable a practical lab on chip device for commercialpurposes.Furthermorethisresearchisforbettermentofhumanityingeneral.The currentmajorproblemsinrealizingthesedevicesare:integrationissuestohaveintegratedlab on chip device, specificity of the system for a given molecule, appropriate sensitivity, appropriatemeasurementrangeetc. IpersonallyfeelthatIamequippedforthisPhDpositionandalsohaveinterestinthisarea.It canhelpmeinmakingamarkinthispromisingresearchfield.Thispositioncanaidmetofollow research in the area of my interest and to pursue a career in research and academia after completionofmydoctorate. KashifM.Awan Stockholm,7thJuly2012