SAYAN BANDYAPADHYAY, IMPRS PhD programme, FALL-2013

Statement of Purpose
Sayan Bandyapadhyay
I can clearly remember the day when I first came in Indian Statistical Institute. The day was started with the inspiring speeches of our Dean and Director.
The day is significant in my life because it has helped me to advance a step
towards my goal.
I passed my bachelors degree in Computer Science from a government college
of India. During the 2nd year of my B.Tech I was exposed to the subjects like
Automata Theory, Data Structure and Algorithms, Programming languages
etc. I started to explore the aesthetics of these subjects as much as I could
by reading interesting books, insisting the teachers for going into depth of the
topics and listening to online video lectures. My final year project in B.Tech was
in Machine Intelligence, where I had to model C, C++ programs and predict
the memory and processor time requirement of those programs. Since then I am
having a strong inclination towards pursuing research on Theoretical Computer
Science(TCS). Also the ability to participate actively in the classes as well as
the scores of the tests had increased my determination and confidence level. I
was the second topper of my batch. I opted for pursuing my masters to prepare
myself for doing research. I sat in the nationwide competitive test Graduate
Aptitude Test in Engineering(GATE), the score of which is the key for applying
in the top ranked institutes of India for M.Tech. I secured 451 rank among
1,36,000 candidates in GATE. But even with this score I was having difficulty
of getting admission at first. I waited with patience and determination and at
last I got admitted in Indian Statistical Institute(ISI) which is one of the best
research institutes of India.
The unique coursework of ISI for M.Tech(CS), which gives more weightage
on mathematics has provided me the platform to be prepared completely for
pursuing research on TCS. The courses like Optimization Techniques, Probability and Stochastic Process, Discrete Mathematics have helped me to strengthen
my knowledge of mathematics. In this semester I am taking the courses like
Advanced Graph Algorithms, Approximation Algorithm which will be an added
advantage for doing research on TCS. In the next semester I will be taking the
courses Topics in Algorithm and Complexity, Computational Geometry, Complexity Theory which I think will also be beneficial. Now I am in my 3rd semester
and up to 2nd semester I am standing third in my class. Since very beginning
of the second semester I started working on Graph Theory and Computational
Geometry. My research topic is Voronoi game on graph networks. One of my
paper has got acceptance in WALCOM-2013, which is one of the leading in-

SAYAN BANDYAPADHYAY, IMPRS PhD programme, FALL-2013

ternational conference on TCS. Presently I am working on the same topic for

my dissertation, which is on the verge of completion. My resume contain more
information about my research.
As I have mentioned before, in future I would like to pursue research on TCS.
The topics on which I think I would be flexible enough to work are including
Graph Theory, Computational Geometry, Approximation Algorithms. I think at
this stage I am fully prepared for pursuing Ph.D. My determination, hardwork,
patience and dedication will be the main driving force behind my research, which
I think are the most important qualities needed for a researcher.
Max Planck Institut Informatik is one of the topmost global research institutes, promoting world class research and excellence. The Algorithm and Complexity department of MPI is doing an excellent job on the fields like Graph
and Network Algorithms, Computational Geometry etc. Thus due to my background, domain knowledge, common research interest and above all my compelling enthusiasm, I think I would be a great fit for working in this group.
It would be a great privilege for me to work under the supervision of Kurt
Mehlhorn, Rob van Stee, Khaled Elbassioni, Ran Duan and Saurabh Ray. My
long term goal is to devote myself for pursuing research on theoretical computer
science either in academic environment or in R&D firms. I think the graduate
program of MPI will really help me to achieve this goal and be my motivation
for the rest of the journey of my life.