Statement Of Purpose

Statement of Purpose I, Saurav Panda, am a final year undergraduate student at the Indian Institute of Technology - Bombay, India (IITB). I am applying to EPFL for Doctoral research in the department of microsystems and microelectronics. The three years of my stay at Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay have given me experience in diverse research areas. My courses have exposed me to a gamut of topics. MEMS provides the right platform for integration of ideas from these wide variety of fields. My attraction for MEMS began after I read an article in “Business India” during my third year. Extensive reading and experience gained through project work have led to the maturing of my interest. Appreciation of the application oriented use of MEMS structures and the tremendous scope of innovation that I perceive in it have motivated me to choose MEMS as my area of expertise. In my sixth semester, I presented a seminar on “Bio-MEMS”. My final presentation was on “Immobilization of bio-molecules on sensor surfaces”. During the preparation of my seminar presentation I did an exhaustive literature survey on micromachining tools. Apart from looking into the immobilization techniques, I studied various methods of fabrication, designing and detection. MEMS for medical diagnosis is a hot research area at present. For my final year thesis, I am working on a novel SU8 cantilever for the detection of Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI). Using SU8 makes the fabrication procedure simpler. I am doing the simulations, mask design, actual fabrication and characterization of the cantilever. During the course of my project I perceived a potential problem in developing the exact relationship between the bending of cantilever and the amount of bio-molecules attached to its surface. I am also working on this as a part of my project now. Having spent some time on “Bio-MEMS”, I was looking for an opportunity to work on some other applications of MEMS. It was with this aim that I joined Dr. Chalapathi’s group at Society for Applied Micro-wave Engineering and Research (SAMEER) as a summer intern in 2002. At SAMEER, I first looked into the various kinds of existing switch designs and structures (for RF networks). I proposed ways of reducing the actuation voltage without affecting the performance of the switch. I also received training on fabrication procedures. SAMEER is a highly professional organization. Apart from learning fabrication techniques, I also observed the way various groups worked, interacted and handled everyday industry problems. It is very rare to have such experiences in an educational institute, which is one of the prime reasons I chose SAMEER for my internship. My first encounter with independent designing of systems was in my third year when I was a member of the team that designed a Joystick Controlled Wheelchair. It was a great experience to design a system from scratch and actually implement it. This gave me the real flavor of engineering. Designing the system to meet its specifications within a given time limit taught me the values of teamwork through effective task delegation and commitment to a goal through persistent labor. My coursework has adequately prepared me for focused doctoral research. To gain more insight into MEMS, I have attended two non credit courses “Introduction to MEMS” and “MEMS based bio-sensors”. My field of specialization, has given me the leverage to explore new technologies with a sound grounding in the fundamentals. I very strongly believe that interdisciplinary work involving the contribution from various disciplines will be forerunner in research and development.

I have maintained a high level of academic performance throughout my career, and in particular in the highly competitive environment at IIT-Bombay. I was selected to the second round (top 200) of both the Chemistry and Physics Olympiads held to select the Indian team for the International Olympiad. I am also a recipient of the NTSE scholarship, awarded to a few all over India. My academic pursuits have not prevented me from participating in various extracurricular activities. I have represented my hostel and IIT Bombay in many cultural events. In the long term, I wish to pursue a career in industry oriented research. I wish to contribute to the formulation and implementation of compelling technology, and see a distinct role of doctoral research in the realization of that personal vision. In the immediate future, I wish to gain extensive research experience through real world projects and attain the professional maturity that independent realization of original thought would engender. Specifically, I am very keen that my doctoral studies culminate in a product or theory of significant industrial value. I have thoroughly relished the challenges that my work has thrown upon me. My motivation for a doctoral degree stems from a strong conviction that, given enough time, I can make enduring contributions of considerable academic and industrial value in my fields of interest. I am sure EPFL will provide me the right opportunity to achieve my ambition.