PHD Chemistry Personal Purpose Statement for Grad School

I am a young man from China who is extremely devoted to Chemistry, especially theoretical and environmental. I am applying to the Chemistry Ph.D. Program at XXXX University because of the sheer excellence of your program and its superlative reputation. I am ready for an especially rigorous program such as yours at Penn State because of my elevated level of preparation as well as motivation. Chemistry is my dream; so, I give it my all.

I have found my niche in Academia, and I hope to earn the PHD Degree in Chemistry at XXXX to devote myself to a professional lifetime of research and teaching in my field. I seek to contribute to my profession and society generally speaking in three ways: cultivating an interest in chemistry on the part of new generations of students, serving the community, and giving my all to research so as to unlock the promise of tomorrow and realize more and more of the great potential of chemistry to make our lives more healthy and comfortable.

I earned my Professional Science Master’s Degree (PSM) in May of 2017 from XXXX University, majoring in Applied and Industrial Chemistry.

This experience has left me hungry for further advancement through studies at the doctoral level. I could not be more passionate about scientific research and eager to study towards the PHD to attain the optimal foundation for a professional lifetime dedicated primarily towards research. I look forward to cooperating with some of the smartest scientists on the planet, dedicated to resolving practical challenges collectively, joining forces in vigorous, coordinated research. Nothing excites me more than the challenge of analyzing which direction in research has high value and which does not (questions that have already been solved by peers, or issues that are proven to be unsolvable). For me, establishing a solid network of relationships with academic circles and participating in international academic conferences is of fundamental importance.

I earned my bachelor’s degree from the Beijing University of Chemical Technology in 2012 specializing in Pharmaceutical Engineering. Throughout the course of my studies in China, I realized that Chemistry was the field to which I have been called; thus, when I came to America for college at IUP, I chose Chemistry as my major and then immediately set to work learning everything that I could about advanced inorganic, organic, analytical, and physical chemistry. My intense efforts were recognized by my winning an academic achievement award for an outstanding GPA.

My research interests include but are not limited to computational chemistry, environmental chemistry, and physical chemistry. I most enjoy simulating electronic structures and molecular processes. For example, I adopted Density Functional Theory (DFT), with the B3LYP functionals at the 6-31G(d) level in Gaussian to explore the optimization structures of MCl2(Py)2, where the M stands for Ni(II) and Cu(II). I enjoy interdisciplinary exploration in chemistry, linear algebra, quantum chemistry, electrodynamics, and so forth. I have some knowledge of C+, SAS, Gaussian, and Spartan programs, and I am good at mathematics – as demonstrated by the fact that I scored 169 of 170 in the GRE quantitative test.

Another reason why I am especially mesmerized by theoretical chemistry is that, in 2013, the Nobel Prize was given to a research group focused on “Computer Modelling of Chemical Reactions”, a branch of computational chemistry, which leads me to firmly believe that the molecular dynamics of biological macromolecules will continue to be a very hot topic for the foreseeable future. I hope to have a chance at some point to do research in this or a related, supporting area.

I worked especially hard at tracing certain elements in acid mine drainage (AMD) by using the U.S. Geological Survey Coal Quality (COALQUAL) Database to understand halide discharges from AMD to drinking water sources, because I find this branch of environmental chemistry to be especially fascinating. I am also interested in exploring atmospheric chemistry, although I have no relevant research experience in this area. I am especially highly motivated to pursue research in this area in the future, however, because China has an enormous problem with haze resulting from air pollution, with many people these days wearing masks whenever the venture outside. Thus, I look forward to learning all that I can about the chemistry of smog - resulting from emissions from chemical factories, automotive exhaustion, natural gas combustion and utilization, etc.  I seek a full immersion experience in the study of air pollution mechanisms, especially the influence of pollutants on ozone concentrations.

I recently gave a presentation concerning about Chinese culture, custom, and food to other master's students who are majoring in counseling to give them a brief description of China and to encourage them to choose China to visit as they prepare for careers as international counselors. After that seminar, the Counseling Department mailed me a thank-you letter for attending and I was deeply moved by it, reinforcing my passion for academic life and community, and pointing me towards a fuller engagement in the future with that community.

I am also in the process of gaining teaching experience since I work part-time as a Chemistry Instructor at Penn State Schuylkill and hold a professional tutor job at Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC). I enjoy having a good relationship with students and rejoice in their achievement and growth.

For the reasons outlined above, I am confident that I can excel in your rigorous program at Penn. I keenly look forward to receiving a world-class education in Chemistry at XXXX and I thank you for considering my application.