I am a final year electrical engineering undergraduate student at the Indian Institute of Information

Technology (IIIT) Guwahati and am applying for Clemson Universitys Electrical Engineering (Master
of Science) program.I am interested in pursuing research in theoretical and experimental Nanophotonics
and Plasmonics, and intend to join the industry after completing my MS.

Ever since I was in school, the fields of optics and quantum mechanics have immensely fascinated me.
I had carried these interests with me to my college, and explored the field of electronics and
communication engineering to find a perfect match. After hours of research and guidance from my
professors, I decided to pursue research in nanophotonics and plasmonics during my undergraduate
studies as these fields provide an excellent connection between my interests, in optics as well as
quantum mechanics, and the wide array of applications of these fields in electronics and
communications. These applications include chemical and biological sensors, optoelectronic devices,
solar cells, high-resolution microscopy, drug delivery, and quantum information processing. My interest
in these fields has grown even more after my undergraduate research work, and I plan on exploring the
fields of nanophotonics and plasmonics in greater depth as a part of my graduate studies.

Hence, I believe to excel and succeed in this field, a Master of Science degree (with a thesis program)
in electrical engineering with emphasis on nanophotonics and plasmonics will therefore be the most
logical step for me to align with my interests.

As a high school student, I excelled in courses related to physics, mathematics and chemistry. My keen
interest in applied physics, more specifically in applied optics and quantum mechanics, and guidance
from my teachers encouraged me to take Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) as my
major for Bachelors in Technology (BTech) degree which I pursued at Indian Institute of Information
Technology (IIIT) Guwahati. This institute is under the mentorship and tutelage of the Indian Institute
of Technology (IIT) Guwahati and is administrated by Dr Gautam Barua : director of IIIT Guwahati.

I have been engaged in research work in the area of plasmonics and nanophotonics for almost a year
(2015-16) under the guidance of Dr. Anuj Dhawan in the Electrical Engineering department of the
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi). My research work at IIT Delhi was carried out as a
part of a summer internship and a winter internship. Under the guidance of Dr. Anuj Dhawan, I learned
about the field of plasmonics and conducted numerical modeling of plasmonic structures for a project
funded by the Department of Bioengineering, Government of India. In the summer internship, I
employed finite difference time domain modeling (FDTD) modeling to model the interaction of light
with sub-wavelength plasmonic nanostructures, and designed plasmonic nanostructures that provide
extremely high electromagnetic (EM) enhancement of surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)
signals. Along with two Ph.D. students working in Dr. Dhawans group, I also worked on FDTD
modeling of organic solar cells (OSCs) containing a one-dimensional (1D) periodic array of plasmonic
nano-trees, where silver plasmonic nanotrees are present in the back region of an organic active
medium. FDTD modeling was employed to simulate the interaction of light with the plasmonic
nanotrees and it was demonstrated that the plasmonic nanotrees enhance the absorption in the active
medium by enhancing the scattering of the incident sunlight in the plane of the active medium of the
solar cell. A journal publication based on this work has been submitted to Optical Materials Express.
Moreover, I worked on a project involving FDTD modeling of plasmonic-enhanced inorganic solar
cells, more specifically plasmonic-enhanced InGaN-based single junction solar cells, in conjunction
with Ph.D. students working in Dr. Dhawans group. A journal publication based on this work has been
submitted to Optics Express. Under the guidance of Dr Dhawan, I am not only learning the
fundamentals of plasmonics and nanophotonics but in doing so, this field has fascinated me so much
that it has become my career goal. Due to the support and direction given by Dr. Dhawan, I was able to
learn as much as possible and successfully complete my task at hand learn in the three months period
of time I was working in IIT Delhi. I am continuing to carry out research work with Dr. Dhawans group
even after my internship has gotten over as I am remotely connecting to Dr. Dhawans laboratory and
carrying out my research work.
My first-hand experience in undergraduate studies though was a reality check. I did not have a computer
language as an elective in high school, and was unfamiliar with its programming languages. This
affected my grades adversely in the 1st semester. However, I practiced hard during my summer holidays
to learn this new programming language C from the online tutorials. Finally, it paid rich dividends in
my 2nd semester as I got AB grade in the course of Data Structures and an overall improvement in SPI
from 6.86 to 9.01. This helped me with my self-confidence as I progressed and worked hard to score a
perfect grade in Electromagnetics and Microwave Engineering (taught by Dr Bidisha Gupta) as well as
Semiconductor Physics and Analog Circuits. I achieved a CPI of 8.83/10 (upto 6th semester) and rank
amongst the top 3 students in the department and amongst the top 5 students of whole college.

In addition to the courses I took, two of my classmates and I participated in the Robotics Competition
organised by IIT Guwahati by the name of Techniche. 50 other colleges participated in this event. We
reached the quarter-finals. This competition improved my ability to think fast and work out on the spot
solutions.

Moreover, I also worked on a project under the guidance of Dr. Gaurav Saxena at IIIT Guwahati. My
project was on Alternate Fabrication Techniques: A Focus on Cost Reduction. In my project, I
compared various fabrication techniques to find an alternative to the currently used techniques like
chemical vapour deposition (CVD), Lithography etc. Our main objective was to find a fabrication
technique with more flexibility and accessibility and with cost reduction. After gathering pertinent data
and comparison of various techniques like inkjet printing, laser printing, spray painting etc., we
concluded that inkjet printing could bridge the gap between an idea and its prototype at a much lower
cost. To further reduce a cost, we also searched for a way to convert a desk inkjet printer to an inkjet
printer by replacing the ink with a suitable conductive ink that is capable of printing functioning electric
circuits. At the end of the project with the guidance of Dr. Saxena, we decided to continue work on an
inkjet printed antenna that could be used for RFID applications like attendance in educational
institutions as a final year project.

The excellent research infrastructure and faculty at Clemson University would provide me an ideal
environment for intellectual development in my chosen field of interest. Of all the research labs the
one that intrigues me the most is Micro-Photonics Lab. Research Projects undertaken in this lab
synchronize the most with my field of interest and experience. Work of Professor Eric G Johnson
towards micro-optics and nanophotonics are of great interest to me. I am deeply impressed by the
work of associate professor Lin Zhu in the area of nanophotonics and plasmonics in optoelectronic
research group. The wide array of the electives and core courses available at your University will
allow me to customize the curriculum according to my requirements and interests. Apart from the
above-mentioned reasons, the diversity of students that your university attracts also plays an
encouraging role in opting for it as my academic destination.

I believe that my academic preparation and research experience in the field of nanophotonics and
plasmonics makes me an ideal candidate for graduate research work at Clemson University. My aim is
to specialize in the area of nanophotonics and augment my knowledge and skills through the world class
facilities and elite faculty at your university. I have opted for Master of Science with thesis program to
satisfy my passion for research. I would like to test my abilities after my graduate studies in a
professional environment with some hands on experience before deciding to pursue a PhD program. I
believe that the experience gained by pursuing graduate research work at the top-notch research
laboratories at your Clemson University would enable me to make significant contributions to the
burgeoning fields of nanophotonics and plasmonics. In conclusion, my academic track record coupled
with my research experience in the fields of nanophotonics and plasmonics makes me a suitable
candidate for the departments Master of Science (M. S.) with thesis program at Clemson University.