PHD Statistics, Biomedical Research, Korean

My fascination with Statistics came with the early realization that the applications are almost limitless in that they have the potential to beneficially affect almost every area of people’s lives and with it came the deep desire to become an expert and teacher in this field of study and my application is made with that aim in mind.

I seek to equip myself with the additional skills and knowledge which the program will provide, along with post-graduation professional experience, to fulfil my ultimate ambition which is to obtain a teaching/research post. As a teacher, I will do my best to equip and inspire the next generation of statisticians to enable them make a real and beneficial difference in the world and also to acquire and to apply the ‘artistic’ skills of intuition and subtle interpretation to supplement the scientific models and techniques that they will employ. My special area of interest is in public health and biomedical research, particularly in the design and analysis of large and complex data, primarily in the context of epidemiological studies. I also aim to contribute to consulting and collaborative research in various other related fields in my future career.

Since beginning my studies, I have also become aware of the vital importance of statisticians maintaining independence and objectivity so that their skills are not used as a tool to ‘prove’ that what is untrue is ‘true’ or vice versa and that this ethical component is of great significance where there may be entrenched or even corrupt pressures for a pre-decided outcome. These considerations are perhaps particularly relevant in the medical applications that are of special interest to me.

I pursued a Master’s degree in Biostatistics at XXXU during which time I acquired and developed the various skills and knowledge and acquired the research experience that, I am confident, provide a firm basis for further studies and research at the highest level.  I have a strong academic record in mathematics, statistics, calculus, probability theory and regression together with familiarity with statistics package programs such as SAS, STATA, SPSS and JMP as well as R software programs. In terms of my research experience, I had the good fortune to work at the XXXX Biology & Cell Signaling Laboratory at XXXU under the guidance of Dr. XXXX in my work in an ongoing study entitled ‘Aging Associated Cardiac Remodeling’.

I have also been fortunate in having been given the opportunity to gain experience in a wide variety of professional settings and have taken full advantage of them to apply theories in a variety of ‘real world’ situations and applications. I have been encouraged, mentored and taught by highly qualified and enthusiastic professionals.

Along with technical knowledge and skills, I have always sought to develop the ‘soft skills’ relevant to the profession, especially being someone who hopes to teach, lead and inspire students. I understand that a truly effective professional in this field must anyway be able to relate well to others to encourage cooperation, collaboration and the sharing of insight and opinion which is vital to it. Fortunately, I have the natural characteristics that help me to relate easily to others. I have happily studied, worked and socialized with people from many social and ethnic backgrounds. I am of Korean origin and I enjoy sharing knowledge of my culture and learning about others. In addition to Korean and English, I speak Mandarin which I studied formally at undergraduate level. I have also been exposed to various cultures in fairly wide travel in Asia and Europe.

I regard XXU as my academic ‘home’; I benefited enormously from the great breadth of experience and areas of expertise of a prestigious faculty and the constantly challenging but supportive atmosphere in the department. It is my aim to further the department’s and the university’s reputation for academic excellence. I am aware that the doctorate program will attract other very well qualified applicants but I genuinely believe that I can add significant value based upon a very successful academic career, research experience, wide work experience, intellectual curiosity and, perhaps most importantly, a genuine passion for this field of study and its development. I can assure the reader of highly enthusiastic, committed and diligent participation in the program, if selected.

Thank you for considering my application.