PhD motivation letter

Hi everybody!
I'm writing a motivational letter to get a PhD post abroad. I'd like to make a good impression (of course), but my english is not so strong. Can you help me with the grammar or giving some suggestions about ? Thank you!!!
Simona

Dear Dr. XXX,



I am a graduated student of MSc in Tropical Marine Biodiversity at Polytechnic XXXX. I would like to apply for a PhD position at XXXX, especially I’m interested in the coral reef disturbance project, because I find that it fits in my interest, passion and background.



I graduated in Biological Science (bachelor degree), with a specialization in Ecology (this italian title is compared to Honour Degree) in 2005.

During my undergraduated years I get closer to marine biology working, as volunteer in February 2001, in Brasil for a project about marine turtles protection. I get so appassionated for all the ocean matters that the next year I’ve been one month in Thailand to get my diving licences. Back to Italy, I attended more marine biology courses, like basic marine biology notions to more specific topics, at the Milano’s Acquarium.

From 2007 to January 2009, I’ve attended my MSc in Tropical Marine Biodiversity with a fieldwork of 2 months in the Bunaken Marine National Park (Manado, Indonesia), where I studied some research techniques like visual census, transects, pattern coverage and statistics.

In summer 2008 I did a training at the Marine Science Institute of the XXXX. I partecipate to the XXXX project and XXXX Project (my supervisor was XXXX). I took experience in coral nursering and transplantation and field work and in giant clam ocean nursery managing and breeding.



I’m an enthusiastic and motivated person. I truly have a passion for all the topics connected to ecology. That’s why I’ve tried different education and experiences through the years because I wanted to improve and know more about this field. My curiosity has led me to a good general knowledge on more topics, focus better on those I find more interesting for further invastigation, but I am also eager to learn new things and I love the new challenges.



I have some informatic competences and statistic calculation.

I speak english (I’m going to get a TOEFL certificate during the summer), hungarian (my parent are native), scholastic spanish and german.

I am able to work indipendently or as a part of a team, and I like working with people. I am flexible and open minded, and I enjoy organizing different tasks.



In these years, I joined as volunteer the environmental association XXXX. Especially I took part with entusiasm to the Forest and the Ocean Campain, where I could get in touch with another aspect of the ecological conservation: the NGO point of view, with different tools to research and to act.

I have experience into dealing with communities and territories, also through my experience as volunteer as in my fieldwork abroad, in Brasil and, especially, in the Philippines.



Nowadays I feel I would like to continue my postgraduate study in this field and I think your XXXX Project fits my research goal.

I am appassionate for tropical ecology and a reef healthness, I’m interested into studing the variations due to the change of biotic and abiotic factors, as due to the climate change or pollution. Especially I’d like to study this impact through a typical organism of this environment, a biological indicator such as Hydroid, because I think that the results of this research and other about the same topic, can be connected and compared to other correlated research results to obtain more information about more phenomena, like bleaching, and work out prevention strategies and conservation operations.



Thank you for your time and consideration. I hope to hear from you soon. 

Yours faithfully......