My interest into research piqued, during my senior year, when I took the course “Introduction to Quantum Computer,” which I found extremely challenging. I realized that my limited mathematical understanding related to quantum computing was the key to this attenuation. I looked up online lectures to resolve this issue, and Dr.
David Deutsch became my fortunate stroke of serendipity. His lectures on Boolean observables, qubit, superposition, entanglement, decoherence, etc.; and, his introduction to the works of key figures like Dr.
Hugh Everett, Dr. Wolfgang Pauli, Dr. Peter Shor, and Dr. Edwin Schrodinger instigated within me, a multiverse, where I pursue a career in academics and research.During my undergraduate years, the mathematics and computer courses instilled within me an aspiration to pursue computer science explicitly. I reveled into the world of mathematics through Calculus, Linear Algebra, Discrete mathematics and Mathematical Methods of Engineering, which helped me, imprinted a firm mathematical foundation towards my prospective goals. Amongst the many courses, course like assembly language, C, C++, Java, data structures, and algorithm, not only allowed me to better understand the program development techniques (through procedural and object-oriented development), but also allowed me to view the evolution of programming languages in order to efficiently use memory, and avoid redundancy in the development of secured application and systems software.
I was so fascinated with Herbert Schildt’s “Thinking in C++” that I had read both volumes when I took the C++ course, and was illuminated by his portrayal of the variations between C and C++, and the techniques of object-oriented programming. My intellectual knowledge of programming languages, algorithm development, programming techniques and mathematics, was greatly heightened along with my scientific temperament and sense of analytical reasoning, allowing me to view the world of computers from the simplest microscopic entities of transistors to the final macroscopic outcomes of architecture, logic and computation.During 2004, I had to discontinue university due to financial difficulties.
Since then, I started a teaching career teaching O level and A level chemistry and biology to high school students. Since pursuing this career, besides undergraduate studies, I was able to expand my horizons towards biology and chemistry. Through this experience along with some university related courses, I learned more about DNA replication, transcription and translation, Southern and Western blotting, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), biodiversity and evolution, and about microbiology and immunology. I acquired further knowledge, on chemistry, learning to identify compounds using infrared (IR) spectrum and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrum. This career not only enhanced my teaching ability, but also improved my maturity, work ethics, confidence, and leadership skills, as I got multiple opportunities to work individually and in teams.
I have mentored many students into research, and have successfully taken part in organizing a Science Fair where the students displayed their research using posters and models. The event was judged and well appreciated by Dr. Muhammad Zafar Iqbal (Shahjalal University of Science and Technology) and Dr. Arshad Momen (Dhaka University) respectively. In the year 2011, I decided to complete my undergraduate degree at University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB). Working and studying was very difficult at first, but I managed to maintain both aspects of my career with good confidence through support from my employer, teachers and family members. It was during the latter part of my undergraduate years when I managed to wallow into the world of research.
The most notable turning point of my research ambition came during the course Introduction to Quantum Computer, where I wrote a paper titled “From Classical Computers to Quantum Computers” and presented it in the course-related academic seminar. This posed new challenges for me as I had to answer a variety of questions from the audience- mostly, eminent professors. Despite being a novice in this field, I received much appreciation and encouragement, as I was able to answer most of the queries. Soon I was writing papers and presenting them for almost every course; amongst which, the papers titled “Importance and Fabrication Methods of Carbon Nanotubes” for the Electronic Materials and Nano-electronics course, and “The Unidirectional Gene Transfer from Mitochondria and Chloroplast to the Nucleus may involve a Type IV Secretion System” for the Biodiversity and Nature Conservation course, were also notable. In the final year of my undergraduate studies, I successfully completed my thesis titled “Visualization and Queuing Analysis of Spatio-temporal Traffic Data” under the joint supervision of Dr.
Sifat Momen and Dr. Mahmudul Faisal Al Ameen. I created an algorithm to perform a visualization to recreate and translate a scenario from an angular perspective view to a birds-eye view. Besides testing the M/M/c queuing theory on the data through simulations, using this model, I have managed to gain data on vehicular lane changing frequencies. This work helped me build a better understanding on algorithm development for mathematical analysis of large sets of data. I was impelled further, when a part of my thesis, was accepted for presentation in the IEEE 17th International Conference of Computer and Information Technology (ICCIT) 2014, and was published in IEEE Xplore. Currently, I am enhancing this work using Poisson-based regression model and ANOVA, in order to predict lane changing probabilities.
In the future, I would like to develop this further into an intelligent traffic prediction system which can be integrated into intelligent transport systems.My purpose, for applying to the Ph.D.
program, in Computer Science, in the Department of Computer Sciences of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, at George Washington University, arises due to the state-of-the-art researches done on artificial intelligence, climate informatics, data mining, visualization, human-computer interaction, and machine learning, bioinformatics and biomedical computing, and optimization, which align with my research interests. Also, the possibility of taking courses like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Data Mining, Introduction to Big Data and Analytics, Computational Linear Algebra and Applications, Computational Biology Algorithms, Design and Analysis of Algorithms, etc. very much intrigue me. This knowledge can allow me to contribute more efficiently towards my research, as I look forward to working in the well-equipped advanced labs like Laboratory for Advanced Computer Applications in Medicine and with groups like the GW Machine Learning Group. I would like to specialize in algorithm, visualization, modeling and simulation with specifics to bioinformatics, AI, ML, optimization, and numerical analysis. I am very interested to work with Dr. Rahul Simha. I find his team’s work, on biocomplexity modeling to be very fascinating.
In one of his team’s recent works, I was enthralled by the idea of developing a biological system model for biological network using Boolean models to investigate the cascade-like behavior in the budding and fission of yeast. Also, I find Dr. Claire Monteleoni and her team’s work, on implementing AI, machine learning and data mining techniques into climate informatics to be very intriguing. I have completed my B.
Sc. (Honors) program from University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh in 2014 and have secured third position (Cum Laude) in my graduating class with a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.79/4.00. Having maintained excellence in academic and research credentials, and leadership activities in my undergraduate and professional levels, I am confident that I will be able to excel in graduate research at GWU. Years into the future, I anticipate myself in a profession based on research and academics, especially, as a faculty member at a reputed university; and, a Ph.
D. is the first step into achieving this. I believe, that with the proper guidance of the reputed professors of your university, along with its strength in research, I will be able to broaden my skills and knowledge, and contribute to the society through quality research giving me the perfect opportunity to pursue my goals and ambitions.
