Statement of Purpose : MD SHAMIM HASAN

Ph.D. Applicant for Fall 2019

When I was a child, my mother used to tell me fascinating stories about the researchers, such as Satyen
Bose, Tomas Alva Edison, Nikola Tesla, Sir Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and many more. By listening
fascinating stories of their inventions and researches which helped ease the problems of mankind a great
deal, I felt very excited and grew an immense interest to be a researcher from my childhood. Hundreds of
publications and journals are always a dream for me. To my belief, pursuing a Ph.D. is the very first step
for completing my dreams. A Ph.D. degree would not only extend the horizon of my understanding of what
I have learned till now, but also help me develop my career as an academician in future. A doctoral degree
would help me train up myself in finding, evaluating and documenting a research problem in a methodical
way.

In high school, my academic results were excellent and I was gifted with an exceptional skill of problem
solving in Mathematics and Physics. I tried to solve different mathematical problems in hundreds of
different ways. Sometimes I failed, sometimes I succeeded. Solving a problem has given me immense
pleasure. The first step of fulfilling my dream of becoming a researcher came to reality when I got a chance
to be admitted in Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), the finest university in
Bangladesh, competing with more than 8000 students in entrance exam which is regarded as the most
competitive examination in the country as only a selected number of students get their chances to seat for
the examination. I also got chance to study in Electrical and Electronic Engineering which was the most
desired course among the students.

During my years of undergraduate studies, I have had the opportunity to come across some of the most
interesting topics of electrical and electronic engineering by the best academicians and research figures of
my country. I developed a strong interest in electrical theories and their applications. During my freshman
and sophomore years, I got myself acquainted with theory courses, such as Electrical Circuits, Electrical
Machines, Electronics, Digital Logic Designs, etc. and implemented their applications through hardware
and software projects. My very first project was opening and rewinding an induction motor. In digital logic
design lab, I built a digital buzzer system which gave me hands on experience of solving and designing a
real life electrical system. In my senior year, I had attended a seminar on “Next Generation Power Electronic
Devices” which was organized by IEEE BUET student branch. I had learnt about the applications and
potentials of power electronic devices. In my final year, I took a course on power electronics where I learnt
about rectifiers,inverters, power converters and many other power electronic devices. My passion for the
subject enabled me to learn the concepts very thoroughly. My clear perception on various power electronic
devices like power BJT, MOSFET, IGBT and Thyristor had helped me to understand power converters and
inverters vividly. In addition, I had studied various journal papers on power converters and inverters which
had facilitated me to keep abreast with the recent developments in this area. I have attended numerous
seminars on power electronics which have aided me to learn about the contemporary research trends in this
field. Solving different kinds of faults in power system theoretically and in software was my everyday work.
Soon, I became proficient with PSIM, CYME-PSAF and PSSE. Moreover, I grew interest in control system
and control system mechanism in my final year of study. Our team got the best project award in the control
system project competition for our project, “Industrial Automation Robot” organized by the Department of
Electrical and Electronic Engineering of BUET. During my freshman year in study, however, I performed
modestly in programming courses, then I tried and worked hard to recognize and recover my weaknesses.
Eventually, I became very efficient in coding and algorithm related works.

Most interesting part of my undergraduate years was my 6 credit-hour undergraduate thesis titled “Design
and Analysis of Multi-Terminal HVDC Network”. During this period, I grew a strong analogical power
 Statement of Purpose : MD SHAMIM HASAN
Ph.D. Applicant for Fall 2019

to sort data and also grew a strong attachment to power system and power electronics. I got an A+ in my
thesis. Initially, I struggled a lot with the simulation in Simulink, CYME-PSAF and PSSE. Subsequently, I
learned to control the controlling parts by studying various journal and control system books.

My passion and skill in mathematics has led me toward signal processing. I have found signal processing
to be fascinating. I have gained extensive experience on image and signal processing by working on a
project on automatic object tracking with webcam. My experience of working on speech detection of a
voice controlled robot which could fetch object according to voice command had enabled me to utilize my
programming and signal processing skills. I am very interested to work with advanced signal and image
processing.

After completing my undergraduate study, I joined SCADA and Flow Control Department of Gas
Transmission Company Limited, which is the principal transmitter of gas throughout the country to gain
hands on experiences in control system mechanism. From this job, I got hands on experiences on the
controlling systems of maintenance of valve stations and compressor stations. I also learned about the
cathodic protection method for underground gas pipelines and coloring protection and color codes for
above-ground gas pipelines. Then, I joined Bangladesh National Power Grid to gain experiences in power
system and power electronics. I served as the in charge of Shahjibazar 132/33 KV grid sub-station where
I gained experiences on maintenance of 132 KV and 33 KV circuit breakers and relays, 80/120 MVA power
transformers, CTs,LAs and PTs. Currently, I am working in the Planning and Design department of
Bangladesh National Power Grid where my team and I are working on a multi terminal HVDC network
for Bangladesh Power System.

My ultimate career goal is to be a prolific independent research professional, preferably in a research

university. As a Ph.D. is basically the formal training for an independent researcher, the next logical step
of my career will be to earn a Ph.D. degree from a top notch research university and I want University of
Illinois at Chicago to be that university for me. The department of Electrical and Computer
Engineering of University of Illinois at Chicago with its state of the art and research facilities will provide
the strongest background for the overall development of me. I am very much interested in Dr.Lina He’s
works in Electrical Power Syatem-, HVDC control and operation. I am also fascinated by the works of Dr.
Derong Liu in intelligent control and power system and by Dr. Amit Ranjan Trivedi’s work. This will be
my earnest desire and will be a dream come true if I am given an opportunity to work under any of them. I
also look forward to discover every aspect of opportunities and research facilities in University of Illinois
at Chicago .

Since my childhood, I love to take challenges. I believe Ph.D. as a mission to push the periphery of
knowledge of mankind even if by a tiny amount. I want to devote myself to this noble work of acquiring
knowledge. I am also aware that a Ph.D. is a gigantic undertaking; the path to earn a Ph.D. degree can
sometimes get dark with despair. It takes immense amount of endurance, perseverance and temperament to
survive in the Ph.D. program. I am ready to face these challenges with hard work, dedication and caliber.
A Ph.D. degree from a top school like University of Illinois at Chicago is going to open a lot of doors for
me to perform high quality, ground-breaking research in my chosen field, which is what I want to do with
the rest of my life.