A 29-year-old man from Saudi Arabia, I completed my BS Degree in Chemical Engineering in December of 2011, and I now have 4.5 years of experience as a professional researcher. I have contributed to investigations resulting in four published papers in internationally peer-reviewed journals, one of which I am listed as the first author. These investigations have also resulted in nine patent applications.
XXXX University is my first choice for graduate school. I hope to continue to study in your program at the doctoral level after proving myself as a graduate student because of the sheer excellence of your university with its world-class research facilities and the comprehensive nature of your program. My studies will be fully paid for by my employer.
I look forward to investing the balance of my professional life in the search for solutions that can help to solve energy/pollution problems, engaging in innovative research, and proving myself as a world-class scientist. I want to tackle challenges in Chemistry that are related to our search for energy forms that are both affordable and renewable. I am primarily engaged in the study of catalysis and look forward to many lively discussions at XXXX with my colleagues who are similarly engaged in the search for ways to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels as an energy source. I want to investigate how Hydrogen production from water using sunlight can be made more affordable. I am deeply concerned with the way in which our dependency on fossil fuel sources has such a huge, negative impact on our environment and I look forward to becoming a part of the community at XXXX where I will be able to brainstorm alongside so many like-minded colleagues.
My ongoing research interests include nanotechnology, surface and materials science, and catalysis with an emphasis on metal oxides, metals, novel nanostructured n for energy-related materials, and everything having to do with materials science and environmental sustainability. I have special expertise in core- and valence-level photoelectron spectroscopies: XPS, UPS, and especially the synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials. I have extensive experience in the design and building of state-of-the-art surface characterization equipment and ultra-high-vacuum-based (UHV) systems.
Highlights of my career so far include making the Dean’s List during two of my last three semesters as an undergraduate student in Chemical Engineering at the University of XXXX during the Fall of 2010 and the Spring of 2011. I have also particularly enjoyed my professional position since finishing my degree, serving as an Engineer with the SABIC CRI Center at KAUST since 2012 studying Ceria-based catalysts by means of TPD, XRD, TEM, and XPS to gain insights into system properties from surface science perspectives; and finding correlations with hydrogen production through solar/thermal water splitting experiments. We are working on the design and installation of a surface science lab at the SABIC Corporate Research Center at KAUST.
Thank you for considering my application to your distinguished program.