Statement of Purpose

“If you do not wash, use deodorant, shave or wear makeup, eat, wear shoes, drive a car, play CD’s, go on holidays, stay at home, sleep on a mattress, take pills, brush your teeth or wear false ones, go to the movies, watch television, listen to the radio, buy books or read newspapers, then CHEMICAL ENGINEERING does not affect your life.” Creating and developing processes dedicated to the production of goods, to chemical transformations, as well as to equipment for those processes are the crucial role of chemical engineers in many areas of petrochemical, nanotechnology, polymer science, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and food industry. National Science Foundation Statistics announce Chemical Engineering superiority among different engineering branches in research expenditures related to Chemical Engineering cover more than 45% of total research expenditures on engineering and environmental sciences. Other statistics from Bureau of Labour Statistics indicate a significant job growth in different branches of Chemical Engineering. These statistics show a bright future for chemical engineers pursuing a career in research, industry or other occupations.

A fascination for Science & Technology and keen interest in the ever-growing world of technology motivated me to take up engineering. As a result of my mathematical talents and extracurricular activities in chemistry and chemical reactions during high school, I chose Chemical Engineering. As instance, I was semifinalist in National Olympiad in Mathematics in 2008. Being among the top 0.3% students in National University Entrance Exam offered me the opportunity to pursue my academic career in the field of Chemical Engineering in University of ***. During undergraduate studies, my talents in theoretical issues, good programming skills, and interest in laboratory experimentation resulted me in joining the Reservoir research group under the supervision of Professor *** at ***. The group activities were primarily focused on synthesis and implementation of wettability alternating agents including responsive polymers and hydrophobic nanoparticles aimed to increase the sweep efficiency. Through participation in this group as research assistant, I not only gained basic knowledge and comprehension in Reservoir engineering, but also had hands on experience in synthesis of polymers, which encouraged me to choose my B.Sc. project in the field of “pH responsive polymers”. Two anomalies in my transcript are Mass Transfer course and Project which relatively I did not get a good mark. These are because I could not participate in my Mass Transfer midterm examination, and as well present my Project Report along with other students for some serious family issues; hence, I lost 6 points out of 20 allotted to Project presentation. Beside research activities, I was successful in graduating from *** as the 3rd rank student among 191 Chemical Engineering students with a GPA of 16.07 out of 20 (Department GPA=14.41).

Seeking higher education, in Sept. 2013, I was ranked within the top 0.06% of participants (149th out of 500,000 plus) for graduate study in Nanotechnology major at University of*** , which is among the top three national universities in engineering. Fascination of interesting applications and novel ideas related to Nanotechnology intrigued me to choose “Synthesis and surface modification of silica nanoparticles” as my research topic. Due to my impressive academic records, I managed to define my project in industrial field in collaboration with Iran Nanotechnology Initiative Council, and to secure full financial support. In the last three semesters, I worked diligently at various advanced laboratories at Material and Energy Research Center (MERC)-Nanotechnology Division, Chemical Engineering department, and Petroleum engineering department at ***. Grabbing such fantastic opportunity, I significantly reinforced my background in the field of Nanotechnology. Moreover, being an active member of *** Nanotechnology group in Iran Nanotechnology Initiative Council and reviewer of Iranian student conference on Nanotechnology for the last year provided me with the necessities in order to keep my academic information updated and become acquainted with the lightening-fast growing fields of research. An anomaly in my transcript is the removal of my first semester, in which I failed to attend my final exams due to crucial family issues. Similar to my undergraduate studies, by obtaining a GPA of 18.89 out of 20, I graduated from *** with honor as the 1st rank student.

In academic environment, I got interested not only in the concept of research, but also in teaching. I found my experiences as TA at both *** and *** University of Technology very useful, especially my experiences in Molecular Dynamic Simulation and Quantum Mechanics courses with professor ***, which assisted me to have a deeper comprehension of chemistry concepts at nano-scale. My academic background includes marks that interpret my knowledge in the field of Mathematics and Nanotechnology. I got 20/20 in Advanced Mathematics in Nanotechnology course and A+ in Transport Phenomena in Nanotechnology course, which are the highest level graduate course involving Nanotechnology major in Chemical Engineering. During these courses, I worked on Transport of nanoparticles in porous media as my semester projects under the supervision of Professor ***, which led to two successful publications. My main work has submitted to Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, and the second paper was presented at 4th Iranian Congress of Chemical Engineering. My thesis was in industrial field involving laboratory experimentation and collaborating with government-related organizations; thus, given time, I still have publications under review regarding my thesis.

I always tried to mind my own rules during studying and researching, “practical use of what I have learnt”, “precise and comprehensive results of researches”, and “perseverance and patient while working on projects”. In the context of sustainable development, a chemical engineer, I believe, must be rigorous, practical, and versatile. That is why I enriched my background in Polymer science during B.Sc. and Nanotechnology during M.Sc with a strong base of Chemical Engineering and some proficiency in Petroleum engineering. On the other hand, I always try to maintain a balance between my profession and my personal life. My extracurricular activities range from playing Electric Guitar to Skating. What’s more, since I was eager to enhance my leadership and teamwork skills, mountain climbing was as well a solid element in my monthly schedule.

According to my research interest and background, I am planning to work in Dehydration of fuel bioalcohols research group under supervision of Dr. *** to pursue a career of research and my graduate studies. There are some reasons that make this research group exclusive for me: Interesting research projects as “Cost effective Biomaterials for selective water adsorption from alcohol-water mixtures and optimizing the bioalcohol dehydration process in a packed-column with biosorbents” which can fulfill my secondary research interest, and an opportunity to follow up my research projects and ideas in the field of Energy and oil sands. Furthermore, superior research facilities, excellent academic environment, and inspiring, eminent, and erudite professors at University of Saskatchewan can boost my knowledge and experiences, and prepare me for a productive life and practical research. Taking my motivation and background into account, I am confident that the Chemical Engineering PhD program in University of ***, which is my ideal option for studying and doing research, can lead into Knowledge and Ability.

I appreciate this opportunity to express myself.

“Scientists dream about doing great things. Engineers do them.” - James A. Michener