Statement of Purpose

Mohammed Tuhin Rana

Email: tuhinrana3104@[Link]

I have been pursuing a Bachelor of Technology degree at National Institute of Technology

Durgapur which is acknowledged as an institution of national importance under Ministry of
Education, Government of India. According to the National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF),
National Institute of Technology Durgapur ranked 47th among all engineering institutes of the
country during the year of 2020. During my studies here, I have acquired a cumulative grade point
of 9.57 out of 10. As a part of my coursework, I took courses on power electronics, control
systems, power systems, electrical machines, electromagnetic field theory, microprocessor and
microcontroller, soft computing techniques, communication engineering, high voltage
engineering etc. I have also worked on some academic research projects in different fields of
research, such as: Modeling and control of power electronics systems, converters for electric
vehicles, Assistive technologies etc. I learned a good deal about different technical, managerial
and economical aspects of the different subjects from my coursework and projects.
I have always had a fascination towards research, development and innovation – I involved
myself into research projects whenever I had the chance. During my undergraduate studies at
National Institute of Technology Durgapur, I always tried to engage in interesting and challenging
research projects. While working on “Assistive technology development for visually impaired
people” with Dr. Tushar Kanti Bera at the department of Electrical Engineering of National
Institute of Technology Durgapur, I got the chance to explore my technical knowledge and
cognitive skills like never before – I would often work overnight hypnotized by the curiosity and
excitement to learn, explore, and innovate. Aside from the fact that, our work with Dr. Bera has
already resulted in a conference paper, the cumulative experience and excitement that I
perceived during the project and my inherent fascination towards research led me to believe that
research and development is one of my specialty.
It was during my third year of studies when I was introduced to the field of power electronics
through regular courses and laboratories. As I started learning different concepts and exploring
different aspects of the subject I cultivated a great interest in it, which kept growing with time.
The application of power electronics in power and energy systems and electric vehicles
enchanted me most. Consequently, I decided to work on power electronics related projects
during the summer, which I had to complete at my own institution due to the pandemic. But
regardless of the pandemic and other impedances, my research work produced some very
satisfactory results and a conference paper. I completed my summer project under the
supervision of Dr. Partha Sarathee Bhowmik on “Modeling and Control of PV systems for MPPT
applications.” During this project I had the opportunity to learn advanced topics of power
electronics such as averaged switch modeling, design oriented analysis, advanced controller
design techniques for power electronics converters etc. which I relied on to develop my own idea.
This further strengthened my knowledge and interest in the field. My interests led me to work
on “A novel converter for electric vehicles to improve the overall system performance” as my
final year project, in which area I have some research ideas. Overall my research works confirmed
my strong interest in power electronics, energy systems, and electric vehicles.
One of the first textbooks of power electronics that I read, was written by Professor Ned
Mohan. This book happens to be one of the key factors that induced my research interest in
power electronics. Later on I found out about the current research projects that he has been
involved in. Moreover, during this search process, I also found out about the research on power
electronics and energy systems that are going on at University of Minnesota. I was especially
attracted towards the research of Professor Ned Mohan, Professor Sairaj Dhople, and Professor
Jungwon Choi. Their current research interests matches with my research interests very well.
Having worked on those research fields previously I have gained plenty of work experience which
further proves my fitness as a PhD applicant. Because of their reputation for excellence and
performance in power electronics, I hope to have them as my PhD supervisor. Since the energy
systems and power electronics is a well-established field of study at University of Minnesota, I
hope to find fellow students and colleagues who would be interested in working in my fields of
interest, and I hope to have the opportunity to collaborate with them.
My primary objective for graduate studies is to enrich my knowledge in my fields of interest
and gain relevant research experience to fulfill personal and professional goals. After I complete
my graduate studies I want to pursue an academic career. I want to be able to conduct
fundamental research works in my fields of interest that will be valuable for the welfare of the
scientific community and humankind as a whole. Another goal that is important to me as I pursue
a research based degree is my personal fulfillment through learning. A personal motto that I
always keep in mind is, whenever learning something it needs to be learnt in the proper and best
way possible, so that, the fundamental concepts are clear enough that one can further build on
those concepts and theories on their own. In other words, my longing for professional fulfillment
and the yearning for lifelong learning drives me constantly to achieve my goals.
My recent GRE scores are 164 out of 170 in Quantitative Reasoning section, 151 out of 170
in Verbal Reasoning section, and 3 out of 6 in Analytical Writing. And my most recent TOEFL
scores are 29/30 in Reading, 23/30 in Listening, 19/30 in Speaking, and 25/30 in Writing. Due to
the current pandemic condition and disruption in academic life, some parts of my standardized
test scores, such as, Analytical writing score in GRE and the Speaking Score in TOEFL were
affected. Moreover, in my opinion, my GRE AWA score was also affected by my relatively slower
typing speed. But regardless of the hardship faced by me, I am trying my level best to improve
my typing and speaking skills that was measured by these examination sections.
During my time as a PhD student at the institution, I plan to apply for various teaching
assistantship and research assistantship job positions at the university. In an ideal world I would
pursue a post-doctoral research program after I complete my PhD in power electronics. In a
nutshell, I know that I want research in power electronics to be an integral part of what I do in
future. In order for that to happen, I need to obtain relevant experience and skills in the field.
And I believe that my best opportunity to fulfill my target is through pursuing a PhD degree in
power electronics at University of Minnesota.