My fascination towards science led me to take biotechnology in under

graduation. During my undergraduate studies, Stem Cell Biology and

Cancer Biology evoked my keen interest. I gained knowledge during
my course work and learned techniques in biochemistry, microbiology,
immunology and molecular biology during laboratory course. I have an
avid curiosity for delving deep into these subjects, and this has
motivated me to pursue a Masters degree through a national level
entrance exam GATE. I scored 96.1 percentile and ranked 411 among
11,000 candidates and got admission at National Institute of
Technology (Rourkela), one of the prestigious institutes in India. During
my course I mastered from basic subjects to advanced subjects like
"Advanced Cellular and Molecular Engineering", "Advanced Tissue
Engineering" and "Stem Cell Engineering". As a part of my course I
worked on dissertation project entitled Matrix stiffness induced
nuclear mechanotransduction in metastatic breast cancer cells and I
gained in depth knowledge in cancer by literature survey and kept
abreast of technological advancements that can be applied in cancer
treatment. I had hands on experience on various techniques like
animal cell culture techniques, flow cytometry, immunocytochemistry,
and various other cellular assays which are part of my project. I kept
myself abreast with the latest developments and venture into new
realms based on the knowledge and the skills that I have accumulated.
Now I plan to further my studies in the fundamental theoretical
knowledge of the relevant subjects.

I believe that out of class pursuits are as important as core academic

excellence for a holistic educational experience. So, I attended various
workshops to broaden my knowledge and skills. In my undergraduate I
attended Nano biotechnology workshop and at my Masters level I
attended workshops like Applications of Bioinformatics and Animal
cell culture and Biomaterial characterization which helped me to
broaden my knowledge and skills.

There are many issues out there in this universe, where I believe
biotechnology has a significant role to play. With its wide variety of
research areas and applications in diagnostics, instrumentation and
medicine have found the cure for many diseases. But still there are

many death causing devastating diseases which do not have the

complete cure. One such dreadful disease is Cancer". Eminent
researchers in diverse fields from all over the world are contributing
their research to cure cancer. I think with right tools and technology
from current research we can find a cure. I think I am in a right
direction and have an appropriate tool (Biotechnology) in my hand to
find a solution, all I need is an opportunity.

During my post-graduation with my dream of doing research work at

the best place, I started searching for a place with a conducive
environment. Finally, I found your institute as one of the best in the
ASIA with good research facilities. It will be an honor to work under the
guidance of such eminent scientists. With this Personal Statement, I
want to indicate unequivocally my purpose of pursuing a PhD program
at your institute.