Personal statement

I have always wondered about the number of chemical resources humans utilize for their lives
to be made comfortable. The amount of pollution and disharmony generated in nature due to
mismanagement of chemicals often goes unnoticed. Deployment of chemical strategies to ensure a
toxic-free environment and aid sustainable growth that promotes innovation and encourages
applications of safer chemical products is the need of the hour. Chemical engineering is evolving each
day with innovative technologies and their industrial applications. Erasmus Mundus MSc in Chemical
Innovation and Regulation is a beautifully crafted program for professionals like me who aspire to seek
scientific, regulatory, and economic knowledge that is necessary to manage the risks of chemicals and
to meet responsibilities over chemical legislation worldwide. The program not only imparts tremendous
know-how of chemical safety but also drives me to pursue my love for travelling around the world to
explore different cultures and meet new people.

I was an academically focussed student right from the beginning of my schooling. As an inquisitive kid,
I love to read books on travel, science and technology. Attending Chetan Public School until the age of
16 meant I had to be focussed and self-motivated in my studies as it is one of the most reputed schools
in my city. I am particularly proud of my 8th rank amongst about 0.8 million students who appeared
in the year 2012 for the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) – a Grade 10 board
examination conducted by the Karnataka state board. The fascination towards Science got me enrolled
into Chetan P.U Science College to study Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics in my 11 th and 12th
grade. My statistical skills were further enhanced through the use of multiple equations, calculating
standard deviations, understanding theories of regression and distributions as I chose to study Statistics
along with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. I secured 2nd rank in grade 11 amongst 450 odd
students in my pre-university college. My diligent efforts were appreciated highly when I was ranked
among the top 8% of the 0.14 million aspirants in the Common Entrance Examination (CET) in
the year 2014 during my grade 12.

Ever since I researched about different streams of engineering after my 12th grade, Chemical
engineering has been my first love. I chose this stream out of sheer curiosity and a will to learn the
fundamentals and underlying principles of applied sciences. I have enjoyed researching the industrial
implications of the processes, hazard management and sustainable approaches applied in the industries.
I acquired the skills and knowledge of chemical engineering at SDM College of Engineering and
Technology (affiliated to Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belagavi) in Dharwad, Karnataka,
India (NIRF rank 200-250 band across India). The passion for this field scaled new heights as I
delved deep into the course with every passing year. Core courses like Chemical Process Calculations,
Chemical Reaction Engineering, Technical Chemistry, Process Engineering Economics and
Management, Chemical Equipment Design, Chemical Technology were some of my favourite courses
amongst several others like Heat transfer, Mass transfer, Momentum transfer, Thermodynamics,
Biochemical Engineering, Solid Waste Management and Pollution Prevention and Control Engineering.
Mathematical topics such as Matrix Algebra, Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations, Integral
Transforms, Fourier Series, Statistics and Numerical Methods, Vector Calculus were an integral part of
the study. I believe my passion towards academics coupled with aptitude for learning enabled my true
potential that ultimately resulted in a massive CGPA of 9.69 on a scale of 10, a highest CGPA for the
batch 2014-2018. I was honoured with a President Gold medal for an outstanding performance among
800 odd students in the entire college. It has been a monumental moment of my life so far. It was also
the first time a student from the chemical engineering department had been awarded the President Gold
medal in the college ever since it was declared an Autonomous institute. My final year engineering
project on synthesis of conducting polymers for gas sensing applications received funding and a
recognition from the Karnataka state Government, amongst 600 project proposals across the state.
The challenges faced at the early stages of this project educated me to have a sense of preparedness
required to handle the chemicals. Right from procurement of chemicals to selection of a suitable method
of experimentation, I realized the need of understanding the nature, chemistry, handling methods and
hazards involved for the chemicals used for the project.

After my graduation, I was highly motivated to take up research at Indian Institute of Technology
(IIT) – Madras which is highly regarded for its research activities. IIT-Madras is ranked number 1
engineering institute in the country for the 5th time in a row in the National
Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2020 rankings amongst more than 10,000 institutions in
India and it is also at a 275th position according to the QS world rankings 2021. I was appointed as a
Project Associate at IIT–Madras for a Chevron Corporation sponsored project on “Investigation of
wax deposition and wax-pipe wall interaction”. The temperature gradient between the interiors of the
pipeline and surrounding temperatures in the deep-sea regions leads to crystallization of wax which
eventually leads to formation of a 2-phase slurry. This slurry-like nature of the crude causes several
problems and wastage of resources. During the project, I studied the stepwise process of wax
crystallization in crude oil, observed the flow in a micro-flow cell, fabricated for observing this process
under the Microscope in cross polarization mode. My research work was supported with Rheometry
and Contact Angle studies. I am currently drafting matters pertaining to one of the works involving
the development and application of an optic sensor to detect wax appearance temperature with the help
of IIT-M advisors and Chevron R&D team for a journal publication. The art of discussions, science
of analysing results and pragmatic thinking abilities are some of the learnings from this job. The
technical discussions at my lab in IIT-M stimulated me to take up NPTEL Swayam courses on Colloids
and Surfaces, Rheology of complex fluids, to quest my hunger for knowledge in the fields of polymers
and colloids. I exploited opportunities that came my way during my tenure at IITM. As a research
volunteer, I co-ordinated for the AICTE QIP sponsored short term course Rheology of Complex
Materials organized by IIT- Madras for academic and industry professionals and also demonstrated
experiments on Rheometer. In order to network with the scientific community who worked on rural
problems, I took up the opportunity of volunteering for the Rural Technology Development and
Delivery (RTDD) conference.

While there are key skills and experience levels that are undoubtedly vital for a chemical engineer,
sticking too rigidly to lab scale research experiences are not enough. The most pressing need of the hour
is to translate innovations in labs into industrial solutions, which is one of the primary reasons to redirect
myself towards industrial exposure. Currently I am working in the Project Developments team at
Manali Petrochemicals Limited (MPL) - a leading Petrochemical industry in India. We are the
monopoly in the production of Propylene Oxide, Propylene Glycol and various grades of Polyols that
caters to the Polyurethane foam industry. These products satisfy the internal need within my country
and are also exported to various parts of the globe. Therefore, the company regulation policy is very
well developed and managed. I am actively involved in project feasibility studies for expanding the
industry’s portfolio. My job at MPL empowers me to assess the environmental and (eco)toxicological
impacts of the new products or projects underway. The business, management and social issues
associated with the innovative design of chemical products and processes is studied and presented to
the management. A detailed investigation on the steps for safe industrial implementation of the
technology, the management of risk and a special attention addressed to circular economy and
security of resources are crucial to the study. The techno-commercial feasibility of any new project
must be carefully carried out to avoid discrepancies at the later stages as enormous resources are
involved. A critical understanding of the market and the regulations on export of these products is a key
for the industry’s growth and to build goodwill in the market. Safety related information of every
product is carefully recorded in the Material Safety Data Sheet. As a part of my everyday activity, I
am engaged in reforming and updating MSDS on a regular basis. Apart from this, I am coordinating for
the Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) project which aims at reducing the fresh-water consumption by
recovering water from the effluent generated in the processes by various chemical and biotreatment
methods. It is the key for a sustainable growth of an industry in its true sense.
My hobbies and interests have evolved and updated with my growing years. I am a trained classical
Bharatanatyam dancer and have also learnt fair amounts of Carnatic music. The sound of beats
makes my foot move involuntarily and in no time, I am drawn to the dance floor. I have performed in
dance festivals and also participated in several competitions. Besides dance, I am also a sports
enthusiast. I also practice yoga everyday under the guidance of my mother - who is trained in yoga
practice. Team sports like Volleyball, Throwball interest me and I have also captained my school team
for departmental level competitions. I am also excited about Hammer throw and Javelin throw in the
individual events section. I have won several accolades for the same in the departmental level during
my school days. Interpersonal skills including debating, impromptu speaking poetry-writing in
English, Kannada and Hindi languages comes naturally to me. I also enjoy doing mental arithmetic
calculations which I learnt during my UCMAS training sessions.

My most fascinating interest apart from reading novels is travelling, especially trekking. Being a travel
enthusiast, it would be a crime not to highlight the best part of this program - the mobility. I will be able
to learn while experiencing new cultures and adapting to the part of the world I have not been to. ChIR
is a tailor-made program for a person like me who is elated to meet new people, learn different
languages, and truly experience the diverse cultures from around the globe. ChIR is rewarding on both
professional and personal grounds.

As a determined and self-motivated student, with high academic standards, solid research experience,
and know-how of significance of regulations and innovations in chemical industries, I consider myself
to be a suitable candidate to receive full scholarship grant and an admit to this distinguished program.
I am positive that I will work hard to contribute to this field with novel ideas and/or products. Looking
ahead, I hope to earn a doctorate degree, and eventually build a sustainable entrepreneurship to
contribute towards chemical innovation and also inspire more women towards STEM. Having said
that, I don’t want to restrict myself to any specific line of thought. I believe I will be able to add my
knowledge through a synergetic relationship and cooperation which will be beneficial to the industry
on the creative front as well. I request you to consider my application to this prestigious program and
grant me a full scholarship so that I can wholly invest my energy and time in learning to make it an
enriching, rewarding and fulfilling experience.