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At the very outset of my first year in electrical engineering, nanotechnologys promise to bringabout the next industrial revolution by engineering the properties of the Nature at atomic scalealongside with my intellectual curiosity for the Nature down at one of the fundamental levels in-stilled a keen aspiration in me to explore science and engineering at the nanoscale. I remainedsteadfast on this determination throughout my undergraduate studies by achieving excellence of

the highest degree in each of my three avenues: academic performance, research involvement andleadership activities. Besides ranking first in my department and also in the university with a GPAof 4.00/4.00 and numerous accolades in national level, I won three international awards, the 1stprize in IEEE Asia-Pacific UG Student Paper Contest (SPC) 06, the 2nd prize in IEEE StudentHistory Paper Competition 04 and IEEE Enterprise Award 06. My research in computationalnanoelectronics, multi-valued logic (MVL) for quantum computing and history of science and tech-nology was scholarly with a publication record of ten papers in nine international conferences,including ISMVL 20071, the most authoritative conference on MVL, SICXXVI 20072 at MIT andHarvard and EDSSC20073. Being selected and funded as the only UG student by the Abdus SalamIntl Center of Theoretical Physics to attend the Advanced Workshop on Nanomaterials4 is one ofthe recognitions I got for my exceptional research credentials. As a part of my leadership activities,

I served IEEE BUET Student Branch (SB) as the Secretary (2004-05) and the Chair (2005-07).I was selected to represent our SB in IEEE R-10 Student/GOLD Congress, 06 in Beijing, China.For my academic and leadership record, I has been nominated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,Bangladesh as a prestigious Bangladesh student delegate in the forthcoming SAARC Student Ex-change Program, 07 in Delhi, India. I have gained my own perception of nanotechnologys visionthrough exposure to research and intellectual communities and of the world vision of leadership insocio-technological perspectives through interaction with visionaries in National and Internationalarena and am confident of my research and leadership traits. Hence, I strongly feel that havingthe opportunity to pursue graduate studies in science and engineering at the nanoscale towardsPh.D. in a center of excellence like Princeton University will be the bridge between my aspirations,achievements and training so far and my career goal of a leadership role in research and innovation

in this field.Having developed a solid foundation on important concepts in quantum mechanics, solid state

physics and electronics through the course Electrical Engineering Materials and informal-yet-passionate-and-extensive study of texts like the Feynman Lectures on Physics, Vol. 3, SchiffsQuantum Mechanics, Omars Elementary Solid State Physics and Streetman & Banerjees SolidState Electronics in my junior level, I along with my friend and co-researcher curiously delvedthrough research papers of our faculty members on electronics. Our self-motivated examination ofquantum confinement effects on the electrostatics of nanoscale MOS structures by developing ourown non-equilibrium Greens function formalism (NEGF) based 1-D Schrodinger-Poisson solver inthe junior level gave me my maiden insight into a quantum phenomenon in nanostructures. Ourwork being awarded the 1st prize in IEEE UG SPC 06 spring-boarded my confidence to take up

harder research challenges; we decided to examine the effects of quantum mechanical tunneling ofelectrons through gate oxide on ballistic drain current current in double gate MOSFETs using a 2-Dtransport model as our senior year research under the supervision of Prof. Anisul Haque. Besidestaking courses like Semiconductor Devices and Optoelectronic Devices in my senior level, I tookup the venturesome task to master the most advanced concepts in quantum transport throughDattas seminal text Quantum Transport: Atom to Transistor on my own for the research. In thiswork, we have shown that gate tunneling effects on ballistic drain current are strongly influencedby short channel effects and submission of our manuscript to J. Appl. Phys. is in the offing.Through this guided endeavor, I received an excellent training on the art of scientific research -

1IEEE 37th Intl Symposium of Multiple Value Logic, Oslo, Norway, May 2007.2XXVI Symp. of the Scientific Instrument Commission, MIT - Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Sep. 2007.3The 5th IEEE Conf. on Electron Devices & Solid State Circuits, Tainan, Taiwan, 20-22 Dec. 07.4The Advanced Workshop on in Nanomaterials: A Partnership between ICTP, ICMR and TWAS, Abdus Salam

Intl Center of Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Miramare-Trieste, Italy, 15 - 19 Jan. 2007.

name: ASIFISLAMKHAN

PERSONAL STATEMENT

dob: 30 APRIL, 1983

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the art of explaining numerical results not as a mathematical or programming artifacts, rather asphysical phenomena, the art of scientific writing relying less on equations and using concepts thatare accessible to the intended audience, the exercise of analytical ability and tenacious adherenceand above all, the spirit of intellectual integrity. On the other hand, my quantum computing (QC)research was driven by the blend of my knowledge on quantum mechanics with the background

of information science of my co-researchers from computer science discipline and hence, it wastruly an interdisciplinary experience. There being no knowledge base on QC in my university, westarted by Nielsen and Chaungs Quantum Computation & Quantum Information. Our isolationfrom mainstream research community on MVL was greatly removed when we found that our paperin ISMVL 2007 presenting the first realization of a qutrit version of Fredkin gate using ion-traprealizable permutative gates in literature was concurrent with recent interests in this field.

Side by side with research activities, I got the training on management and leadership skills,the training to work in and lead groups, to practice patience, personal authority and expediencyin action plans and execution through my involvement with IEEE and attending SLTW5. Thevibrancy of our SB under my leadership was featured by The Institute, the newspaper of IEEE, inEditor Kathy Kowalenkos article Organizing tours to technical facilities in Dec. 2005 issue, where

I as the Chair described how student activities like plant tours boosted membership recruitmentand retention rates and also career prospect of the members. Having to manage such diverseactivities, I groomed into myself personal management skills like diligence, sincerity, integrity andtime management. Hence, I feel confident that I will be able to handle and adapt into cooperativemilieu of the graduate level research and also fit into leadership roles in research and in my career.

But it was not until I attended the nanomaterial workshop at ICTP that I could appreciatethe diversity of approaches of and the excitement associated with nanotechnologies. Sessions onchemistry of nanomaterials and concepts such as functionalization, self-assembly of nanostructures,and chemical controllability of mechanical, electrical, optical, magnetic properties of nanomaterialsenabled me to view nanoscience from the perspective of chemists and has instilled an encouragementin me to work in interdisciplinary nano-engineering groups in my graduate level. Being an ardent

subscriber of IEEE Xplore, Scientific American and Physics World and reader of many otherscientific monographs, I can perceive the distinctness of nanotechnologies in terms of approach andimpact on society from other most promising fields - astrophysics, neuroscience to name a few. AsI see Feynmans perception - there is plenty of room at the bottom- being reflected by quantumcomputings vision for unfathomable computing power through entanglement - spintronics visionfor achieving transistor effect from spin - plasmonics vision to debut optics into nano-regimethrough plasmon interactionsand through the vision of many other new fields, I feel that pursuinggraduate research in nanotechnology will a nexus of my capabilities and my passions.

In the graduate school, I would like to specialize in nano-electronic and -photonic devices andnovel device concepts. My interests are closely aligned with Prof. Chous research at the Nano-Structured Laboratory-especially with his nanoelectronics research. Dr. Gmachls work on quan-

tum electronics and Dr. Pettas (PRISM) interest in quantum information systems also inspiresme to work in their groups.

To see my sophomore grade students grasping with eagerness and amazement the ideas ofMoores law, nanosubmarines for drug delivery, top-down and bottom-up approaches from mylectures in their first electronics course, EEE 210 with me and through my website for this course 6,I really feel that I have an innate capability to convey new ideas and instill a motivation in studentsto venture into new concepts and to research. I believe that by being a professor in a field of nano-science and -engineering in a research university, I would have the perfect opportunity to contributeto further Feynmans vision not only by advancing the state of the art, but also illuminating newavenues of thought for my students. Graduate study at Princeton University will undoubtedly giveme the opportunity towards this academic and professional goal of mine.

5Student Leadership Training Workshop, IEEE R-10 Student/GOLD Congress, Beijing, China, June 15-17, 066http://teacher.buet.ac.bd/aikhan/EEE210.htm

name: ASIFISLAMKHAN

PERSONAL STATEMENT

dob: 30 APRIL, 1983

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http://teacher.buet.ac.bd/aikhan/EEE210.htm