An enormous enthusiasm for computer science and a large motivation to confront d

ifficult long-term problems: these are the two qualities that best describe the
approach I have taken towards my academic life. First as a student, and now as a
research and teaching assistant, I have always been strongly drawn to the combi
nation of logic and creativity that computer programming entails.
My interest in computer science began as an undergraduate student, after I had t
he opportunity to learn basic programming in ANSI C and assembly language during
a digital electronics course. Soon realizing that computing would become a majo
r field of interest to me, I looked for ways to incorporate computer programming
into a power-oriented electrical engineering curriculum. Pursuing this course o
f action for the remaining of my undergraduate studies, I successfully submitted
a thesis proposal for the development of an open source Java-based Programmable
Logic Controller, an exciting opportunity for me to devote full-time to compute
r programming.
My initial interest in computer science became a true passion after I enrolled a
s a M.Sc. student at the nationally renowned XXXX Institute, where I graduated w
ith one of the highest grades in the history of the program. One experience from
the program that I hold in high regard was attending Data Structures and Algori
thms lectures under Professor XXXX. I was particularly captivated by the complex
ity of the subject and the difficulty of the assignments, and I used to stay up
until late hours working out efficient and elegant solutions. This motivation re
ndered its fruits, and I was honored when the professor selected some of my solu
tions and test cases as benchmarks for future semesters. The experience taught m
e that in order to excel in computer programming, one not only needs a solid mat
hematical background, but also a large amount of creativity.
Thanks to my performance as a graduate student, I was able to take my enthusiasm
for computer science one step further, when I was invited by senior faculty mem
bers to join the institute as a research assistant and academic fellow. In this
position, I have worked on several long-term multidisciplinary projects (includi
ng two sponsored by the NSF) under the guidance of Professor XXXX and in collabo
ration with professors XXXX and XXXX from the University XXXX, USA. My main area
of research at the institute has been machine learning, specifically surrogate
modeling and classification, and I have become strongly interested in this area
as a result. Among other accomplishments, I had the joy of writing a published p
aper in surrogate modeling, which was a valuable introduction for me to the peer
-review process and the importance that effective communication has on research.
As a research assistant I have always pursued projects that are challenging and
that require the combination of various disciplines. A good example was my maste
r thesis, which consisted in the implementation of an optimal control strategy t
o maximize net present value in oil production processes. This was a particularl
y challenging work for me, because it dealt with a topic (i.e., oil reservoir si
mulation) that was completely unrelated to my academic background and which I ha
d to become familiar with largely by myself. The project also required the solut
ion of several technical issues, and a few times during its development I had to
deal with approaches that did not work, thus having to go back to the drawing b
oard. Nevertheless, thanks to this arduous process I developed a perseverance an
d patience that has proven immensely valuable during my years doing research.
My primary areas of interest in research are machine learning, scientific comput
ing and robotics. In particular, having worked on the machine learning area for
several years, I am aware of the vast range of applications in which this discip
line plays an important role and the opportunities it presents for multidiscipli
nary research. For instance, I have worked on machine learning applications in t
wo largely unrelated fields: biomechanics (surrogate modeling of contact forces
in a knee implant) and oil production (neural-network based control of water inj
ection rates), an experience that has given me first-hand knowledge on the suita
bility of machine learning techniques for the solution of diverse real-world pro
blems. Thus, being aware of its importance in today's data-driven world and the
difficult nature of its core scientific problems, machine learning is an area of
research that intrigues me deeply.
After years of rewarding experience in computer science research, I want to exte
nd my education such that I can contribute to the state of the art in the field.
I have chosen XXXXX's Department of Computer Science as the proper place for my
Ph.D. studies because, besides being home to some of the greatest innovators in
the field, many of the research that is currently being held there is aligned w
ith my scientific interests and academic background. In particular, I am strongl
y motivated by the work of Professor XXXX on distributed probabilistic inference
, and Professor XXXX work on image understanding, which are breaking the boundar
ies of the machine learning arena. I also have substantial interest in collabora
ting in the development of autonomous vehicles such as XXXX project, a remarkabl
e area of study that I find highly appealing on a personal level.
I am confident that my academic background, both as a student and as a research
assistant, gives me a solid foundation to contribute to ongoing research project
s at XXXXX. I am also aware of the high responsibility that an acceptance to thi
s world-class university will entail and I would hold this honor with the highes
t commitment to hard work.