Statement Of Purpose: Kritika Sharma Simon Fraser University

My objective is to pursue doctoral studies at Simon Fraser University in the field of Computer
Networks. Within Computer Networks I am more oriented towards Network Security,
Cyberattacks, Wireless Communication and Security, Internet Protocols. With this personal essay,
I hope to provide you with significant rationales that would allow me to achieve and secure
admission and be a part of the Simon Fraser family.
I grew up in a family with a lot of brothers and very few sisters. Kudos to that my childhood was
filled with a lot of sports, video games, scientific talks, mind-boggling puzzles, and always
question everything attitude. The 10-year-old me was more interested in Stephen Hawking than
the Jonas brothers, though that still stands to be true. In my opinion, this is what shaped me to be
more oriented toward science.
In India, people don’t usually get to choose amongst a lot of career options. For me, it was either
a doctor or an engineer. Needless to say, I was a bit skeptical about pursuing Engineering in the
beginning simply because I didn’t know if I was cut out for it. But as I proceeded along with my
Bachelor in Computer Science and Engineering I realized that it suits my acumen and I am actually
good at it. As they say, it's easy to love something you are good at. But, it might surprise you that
networking was one of my weakest subjects till the final year yet it was one of the subjects that
intrigued me the most. As I studied more I improved and it was then that I made the decision to
enroll for masters with a long term goal of pursuing the field of research.
In the masters, I worked on a capstone project and the thesis having Network Security as their core
component. For my thesis in masters, I wanted to do research in networking but as my love for
space has long since been with me I decided to look for a topic that might combine them both. I
wanted to work on a project that might impact and help a generous amount of people.
I carried out my research in the “Design and Implementation of Deep-Space network and its
validation against the De-authentication attack”. I was the first person that went for such a topic in
the history of the Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology (During Masters). The topic
though interesting had led me to face a variety of challenges. The educational background I had
up till now dealt only with the terrestrial network. I started by reading research papers based on
deep space communication but the deeper I got the more it seemed like they were difficult to
comprehend and even more difficult to apply. After going through many research papers I finally
came across the ones that provided a basic overview of TCP/IP protocols that had been changed
in order for them to be utilized in the deep space environment, as well as some newly developed
protocols for deep space like LTP (Licklider Transport Protocol), BP (Bundle protocol), etc. After
acquiring rudimentary knowledge about how deep space communication operates, a basic testbed
was designed with computers using LTP, BP, contact windows to communicate and send data over
to each other using ION (Interplanetary Overlay Network) as a simulator. To ensure that the
communication did seem like it was taking place in deep space huge propagation delays and
intermittent connectivity were added to the network scenario. The main motive of the thesis was
to test out if the networks in deep space were just as vulnerable as the terrestrial ones. To validate
this, a De-authentication attack had been carried out on the testbed under two scenarios namely:
Time based De-authentication attack and Contact window exhaustion attack. A variety of
programs were used to accomplish the objective. Python was the primary language used to
construct programs that could find SSID, hidden SSID, BSSID, Channel Number, launch De-
authentication attack, etc. A comparison between the performance of nodes before and after the
attack was recorded on the basis of delay in transmission as well as the successful delivery of
bundles. After confirming the possibility of attacks in deep space I proposed some measures to
counter this threat.
I worked as a TA in the final year of Masters. I was in charge of conducting weekly labs of Network
Security consisting of about 30-40 pre-final year undergraduate students. I also designed mid-
semester exams, invigilated quizzes for professors. I am also currently working as a tutor at an
online education platform named “TutorMe”. I mostly take up subjects related to Computer
Science (Networking, R programming, Operating System), Mathematics. After being a TA in
masters and a tutor at TutorMe I would like to think of me as a professor in making. For me, being
a teacher is a fulfilling profession and quite honestly you never stop learning and by this, I am not
just oriented towards the technical aspects but also towards learning what might be considered
small but meaningful things in life which might eventually help you attain that peace of mind
people talk about.
I met up with a lot of problems while working on my thesis but as they say, a diamond cannot have
its shine and sparkle without friction and pressure. All of these trials have shaped me to be more
perseverant and patient towards my goal. Ph.D. requires a long commitment and a research-
oriented mind that I have proven to have. I have confidence in myself and the skillset I have
acquired will go well with the courses I have decided to pursue.
I would really like to be admitted to your graduate program. If given a chance I would like to work
with Professor Mohamed Hefeeda in the domain of Internet Protocols or Network Security. I am
also interested in Professor Jiangchuan Liu’s research on Internet architecture and Protocols. I can
contribute to the university by providing a combination of strong engineering skills and strong
computer science and research background. Needless to say, Simon Fraser is one of the most
reputed universities for research in Canada with a huge amount of collaborations worldwide.
Therefore, its focus on research will help me grow into a fine researcher.