Statement of Purpose

“Scientific achievement and scientific knowledge have been achieved only by those who have
gone in pursuit of it without any practical purpose whatsoever in view” –Max Planck. From the
discovery of the cell in 1665 by Robert Hooke to RNA interference in 1998 by Andrew Fire &
Craig Mello, for centuries humankind have been revolutionizing the world through distinct
scientific breakthroughs substantially improving the quality of life. I vividly remember when my
sixth grade science teacher, Mrs. Helen Banham, introduced us to a new topic; seed germination.
We were divided into groups to perform an experiment on different conditions that seeds require
to germinate. Why have some seeds germinated while others haven’t under different conditions?
What exactly is life and how did it begin? The enigma of life has always enthralled me. These
initial curiosities; the complex relationship between cells and living organism, the harmony of
cellular life, the practical applications of hypothetical concepts, has led me to pursue my higher
studies in Biological Chemistry.
With scientific activities constantly evolving, multidisciplinary areas are delivering new levels
and broader understanding of how cells work. Cell Biology is the field of the future, globally
emerging as an opportunistically-ripe and fundamentally broad research area, providing in depth
knowledge on a variety of disorders and diseases, on cancer, and on a number of interrelating
biomedical fields such as Genetics, Immunology, Cancer Biology and Developmental Biology.
In the year 2007, a group of US and Japanese researchers, successfully reprogrammed adult cells
to embryonic stem cells, without the use of human embryos, later confirming that the cells
appear to be identical. Also, while working with a diabetic mouse, a team of researchers
successfully transformed regular pancreatic cells into beta cells, by inserting three genes into the
pancreatic cells, effectively curing the diabetic mouse. Another major theoretical breakthrough
has been the discovery of small RNAs, as a new method for the control of gene expression. With
technology serving as the driving force in spurring new conceptions and perceptions into cell
biological processes, high throughput sequencing analysis, computational genomics and a variety
of other modern techniques have been well implemented in the study of cells from new and
diverse perspectives. I believe to be an element of innovation. A researcher, with a vision of a
future, a future wherein society and health are irreversibly and unequivocally intertwined and
preserved. To achieve this, I seek to acquire requisite knowledge and research experience.
University of Alberta, is who I choose as my guide. A guide who will lay the pathway for my
dreams to make my own mark on this world. To be the one. Not anyone.
During my undergraduate studies, Cell Biology and Biotechnology captivated my mind. The
coordination between cells and cellular activity using complex cellular signaling, intracellular
trafficking, vesicular transport, host-virus interaction, as well as stem cell research, fascinated
me, inspiring me with a fierce passion and desire to unearth the beauties of the enigma of Cell
Biology, on a research level. With consistent perseverance and determination, I achieved the
highest position in my class through all my years of undergrad, attaining the highest grade in
most of the courses. Being keen as I am in research work, I decided to pursue my Masters
immediately after my Bachelors, in the rapidly growing field of Biotechnology from North South
University, with the aim to further increase my theoretical knowledge and practical research
experience. Although each of the courses were exceptional in their own ways, I particularly
enjoyed Immunology, Molecular & Cell Biology Bioinformatics and Virology. I have
participated in various Bioinformatics and Computational Biology workshops and seminars
under the tutelage of some of the top scientists and researchers in their own specialized fields,
using applications that are implemented in protein engineering, analyzing biological data,
particularly that of DNA and Protein sequences. I am confident in relation to my academic
performance, because I believe I have maximized my ability to acquire knowledge in diverse
fields of Biotechnology. I am currently working as a thesis student at ICDDRB, a globally
recognized health research organization. My thesis focuses on the effect of heavy metal toxicity
on the status of ll-37 among arsenic exposed influenza patients in Bangladesh. In many rural
areas of Bangladesh, the level of arsenic in water is >300 ppb (normal range 50 ppb). Early life
exposure to arsenic has been associated with lower respiratory infections as well as increased
mortality from tuberculosis and lung cancer among young children. With increased levels of
inorganic arsenic in urine, the level of ll-37 is also increased. The level of ll-37 was measured by
performing ELISA. Being part of Immunobiology, Nutrition & Toxicology lab, I have hands on
experience in a variety of different research areas: isolation of PBMC, cell counting, ELISA,
Preparation of cell culture media, collection of cells for ALS assay, blood analysis and different
bactericidal assays.
With this statement of purpose, I would like to express my unequivocal purpose of pursuing my
research at University of Alberta. Besides the exceptional location and the campus, University of
Alberta provides essential research facilities providing researchers with comprehensive
infrastructure and sophisticated laboratories which includes next generation sequencing, tissue
culture facilities etc. Several remarkable publications made by the Cell Biology department
intrigued me further to study Cell Biology at University of Alberta; the discovery of peroxisomes
as fighters against bacterial infections, a study showing the discovery of peroxisomal protein as
new biomarkers for rapid diagnosis of HAND. Your university is my top priority because it is
dedicated to providing excellence in research in diverse areas of cell biology, in particular;
protein targeting, viral infection and rare diseases, which are my choice of research. I am
optimistic to acquire more professional understanding to renovate my concepts in the Cell
Biology field. It is my confidence that the strong faculty, rich academic environment and
sophisticated research facilities of the University of Alberta, will provide me extensive research
training in order to accomplish my goal of becoming a research scientist.