Motivation letter for PhD

Hello dear all,

I have written a motivation letter and have it checked several times by myself. Still, I feel there is much to improve. I would be very grateful if you can give me some advice.

Dear Sir or Madam:

I am writing to apply for the PhD program ‘Effect of nanoparticles in membrane filtration’. My career ambition is to become a professional in water technology with specialization in membrane process technology.

When I was very young, I used to have a lot of fun in a clean river near my home, swimming, catching fish, and water fight with my friends. As the urban construction, the river has evolved from limpidness to turbidity. I find all my pleasures with it totally lost. Instead, I would be greeted by its terrible smell when I pass by. The need for wastewater treatment is evident and this is achievable by scientific research and innovation. This is what shapes my ambition in water research.

After exposure to different water technologies in university, I found myself hooked by membrane technology, especially by its advantages—high level of automation, low energy consumption, no phase changes, no chemical additives requirements and smaller space requirements. Still, further improvements of membrane performance and membrane stability such as antifouling membranes are needed. Yet not much is known on the effectiveness of membrane filtration in removing some new material, such as nanoparticles. I want to make some contribution in this field. And I firmly believe I can make it.

Born in a special family, I learnt to be strong and independent at an early age. My father passed away 3 months before my birth. My mother remarried and left me when I was 13 month old. Grown up in such a family, I have to fight for anything I like by efforts. Though, I enjoy the achievement after every victory over challenges in life. Naturally, my characteristic of pursuing challenges came into being and it profited me a lot in study and research.

As an undergraduate, I was placed 28 out of 93 incourse studies (40% of the students won scholarships) and 7 inthe diploma thesis. People didn’t believe I can succeed the application to ShanghaiJiaoTongUniversity, one of the top 4 competitive universities in China. However, I prepared the entrance exams actively, studying every day from 7:00 am to 11:30 pm. Finally, I was granted the admission and the 4^th prize of scholarship. By one year’s hard work, I won the 2^nd prize. And last year, I graduated as one of the best in my class, considering one patent published and one of my papers published on the top Chinese journal in the Environmental field.

During my graduate research career, I enjoyed the life with my teammates, being part of the research group. Sharing and mutual help was everywhere at any time. I obtained the direct experience in membrane technology by participating in upperclassmen’s projects. The experience was passed down when I trained younger students. Besides, our fortnightly seminars gave us good chances to exchange ideas and share experiences. I have benefit a lot from study in such an excellent team.

Complementing my strong academic performance are my advanced skills in leadership and communication. As the director of Academic Department of Student Council, I often organized academic seminars and visits to water technology exhibition, such as AquatechChinaand China Water Show. And when Wenchuan area was severely hit by earthquake, I called for a donation to the affected people. The position also gave me the chance to receive professors and visitors from foreign countries. By communicating with them, I realized their emphasis on practical application of technologies. Meanwhile, I learnt living in abroad is not easy, because of different culture—different language, different custom and different thinking. But all of these intensified my desire for overseas life in an international academic environment.

I learnt from the book Membrane Separation Systems: Recent Developments and Future Directions by R.W.Baker, E.L.Cussler, W.Eykamp, W.J.Koros, R.L.Riley and H.Strathmann (Noyes Data Corporation 1991) thatUniversity ofTwente is one of the four major universities involved in ultrafiltration research. I am more than confident that the Membrane Technology Group has the leading experts on membrane technology. I am also deeply convinced that the program ‘Effect of nanoparticles in membrane filtration’ meets my research career goals. In return, I will bring a high level of energy and enthusiasm to your program.

Thank you for your kind consideration, and I look forward to receiving your acceptance.

Kind Regards,

John Xie