Need help for improving motivation letter for PhD position

Hello everyone,

I've made a motivation letter to apply for PhD positions covering certain research area and I usually make minor changes in the letter when I need to apply for some different position.
I've been applying for positions for a long time but was not fortunate enough to get any positive reply till now. My transcripts are above average with a very good reserach work during my thesis and hence I managed to obtain very good recommendation letters from my supervisors. So I've a feeling that may be my motivation letter is not that much convincing and that is becoming the main hurdle in selection. I am pasting the letter below and will highly appreciate your comments/suggestions.
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Dear Professor ____,

I am writing to apply for the PhD position in ABC. I’ve recently completed my MS (Physics) from XXX University, Sweden. I performed my Master’s thesis entitled Growth and characterization of ZnO nanostructures under the supervision of Professor ____ and Dr. ____.

Previously I graduated in Applied Physics, from University of ____. This education provided a strong foundation to my understanding in fundamental of semiconductor physics which provided a platform for me to explore the applied aspects of the field of semiconductor based devices. Later on, I moved to Sweden, with the aim to carry out research in the field on which the foundation of modern semiconductor industry is being laid that is the ‘Nanotechnology’.

I started my master’s program in ‘Material Physics and Nanotechnology’ at XXX University in 2009. The program contained a well structured course and laboratory sessions which covered the different aspects of nano sciences and its applied aspects that helped me to develop a good theoretical and practical understanding of the subject. During this program, I studied the core courses of Nanotechnology, Nano Physics, Thin film Physics, Semiconductor Physics, Optoelectronics, Condense matter Physics, Quantum mechanics as well as I had the opportunity to have hands on experience of various analytical research tool such as X-ray Diffraction, Transmission Electron Microscope, and Atomic force microscope. The knowledge and understanding thus gained helped me establishing myself as a quick learner when I started carrying out research on the growth and characterization of ZnO nanostructures during my master’s thesis. In this research work, I used Atmospheric Pressure Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (APMOCVD) for the growth and Micro Photoluminescence (µ-PL), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) for the characterization of the grown nanostructures. The research study has come out with excellent results and we have already made a conference contribution and a journal paper from the obtained results.The academic knowledge gained and research work that I performed in the fields of nano science and technology has insvoked a huge interest in me to explore this field in more detail. Working on the devices which involved nanotechnology and semiconductors such as NEMS and MEMS sounds much fascinating to me and I am very much motivated to make valuable contribution to this field through dedicated research work.

My course and thesis work along with my professional experience has provided me with a lot of learning in many areas including academic learning, scientific techniques, reading and writing skills, communication skills, team work and also the ability of performing the task independently. I like to intermingle and work with the people who belong to different cultures and background which I believe is also a strong source of learning. I’m flexible and have the ability to adjust myself according to the needs of work and environment. You will find me a strong analytical problem solver possessing the communications skills to actively manage and work in cooperation with teams and individuals to achieve desired goals efficiently. I always tried to get a good understanding of the subject that leads me in creating useful ideas.

I hope that you will be pleased with the skills and experience portrayed in the accompanying résumé. My skills and expertise are quite in accordance with your requirements that make me a suitable candidate for this position. I am eagerly looking forward for a positive response from your side.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

Sincerely Yours,



XYZ''
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