Biomedical Science Personal Statement Sample

Personal Statement

My decision to pursue my graduate studies in the United States stems from my desire to build up a successful career in research in biomedical sciences. Earning a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences with a concentration in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of Oklahoma will definitely be a crucial step in fulfilling my dream. I am currently pursuing Master of Science in Chemistry at Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas. I earned my undergraduate degree in pharmacy from Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh, and I am originally from Bangladesh.

I am expecting to graduate from Lamar University in May 2016. Here at Lamar University, I have demonstrated excellent academic performance in all my courses, and I am
maintaining a GPA of 4.0 to date. I am doing my thesis in the field of biochemistry under supervision of Dr. Maxim Soukhodolets. My thesis work involves the test of solubility of several selected key proteins of bacterial transcription-translation apparatus. Multiple recent studies point to the formation of superstructures by the components of the bacterial transcription-translation apparatus. Specifically, I am willing to determine how efficiently these proteins can be dislodged from these superstructures with detergents of varying strength and ionic composition. The techniques I am using involve extraction of proteins from E.coli MG1655 and DH5-alpha cells (grown both in exponential and stationary phases) in the presence of different detergents, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and western blotting. Last summer, I received competitive scholarship from the department of chemistry and biochemistry for my research work. Prior to this project, I worked on a research project designed to determine possible interaction between C-terminal domains of RNA-chaperon Hfq protein.

I obtained my Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from a reputable public university of Bangladesh, Jahangirnagar University. As a student of pharmacy, I have received both theoretical and practical knowledge in biomedical courses like pharmacology, physiology, medicinal chemistry, pharmacognosy, toxicology, microbiology, biochemistry, biotechnology, biopharmaceutics etc. As a part of my undergraduate program, I also completed a month-long in-plant training at Orion Laboratories Limited, a well-known pharmaceutical company in Bangladesh. I have some research experience in pharmaceutical sciences. After my graduation, I participated in a pharmaceutical analysis project. Our team performed a comparative study using sodium-, potassium- and ammonium- di-hydrogen phosphate buffer as a component of mobile phase for the detection of tolterodine tartrate, a urinary muscle relaxant used in the treatment of urinary incontinence, in a HPLC-UV system. The paper was published in Advances in Natural and Applied Sciences (ANAS) in the year of 2012.

I have work experience in both academic and professional settings.
I have been working as a teaching assistant in biochemistry, organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and general chemistry laboratory courses at Lamar University since August 2014. I have developed a good reputation in my department for being a responsible and efficient teaching assistant. I have also worked for a leading pharmaceutical company in Bangladesh. After my graduation from Jahangirnagar University, I joined Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Limited as a Product Executive in Strategic Marketing Department. My job responsibilities involved developing promotional materials and product literatures, making marketing plans, proposing annual budget, and conducting training of our medical representatives. Due to my interest and proficiency in pharmacology and neuroscience, I was given the portfolio of cardiovascular and CNS products of the company. My job not only familiarized me with corporate environment but also gave me the opportunities to delve into cardiac and neuroscience research papers, to access famous journals and to develop my teaching skills. I arranged and attended numerous scientific seminars on cardiology and neuroscience as a part of my job. I was awarded the best executive in 2011, in the category of development of new promotional materials, and was promoted to Senior Product Executive in January
2012.

I am very keen to earn a Ph.D.
in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Oklahoma. Specifically, I am willing to specialize in the field of pharmacology and toxicology. I am confident that my academic background as well as my research experience has made me well-prepared to succeed in the Ph.D. program. I am interested to do research in the arena of neuropharmacology and new drug development. The University of Oklahoma, College of Pharmacy offers state-of-the-art research facilities as well as a very balanced academic program in pharmaceutical sciences. I am very optimistic that at your university I will be able to enhance my knowledge with the opportunity of getting exposure to the latest developments taking place. A doctorate degree in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of Oklahoma will surely help me to build up a successful career in research. After completion of my doctoral studies, I am willing to join a university faculty, and work there as a teacher and researcher. Alternatively, if I get good opportunity, I may also work for a research institute.

My strengths are strong motivation, good academic background, research experience, sound theoretical knowledge and practical skills in biochemical and pharmaceutical sciences, ability to work in a team, and passion for pursuing knowledge and conducting research. I feel that graduate studies at your university will be important for my academic pursuits, and a major step towards achieving my objectives. I would
regard my admission to the University of Oklahoma not only as a great honor but also as a great responsibility and an obligation to work hard.