Nyuad Personal Statement

When I arrived at NYUAD, I already knew that I wanted to pursue a major within the natural sciences. Before college, I participated in multiple science competitions, including the International Biology Olympiad during my senior year of secondary school. For this reason, it was clear to me that I wanted to become a scientific researcher. As a freshman, I started to take the courses in the Foundations of Science program, which rigorously introduced me to the fundamentals of physics, chemistry, and biology. Before my semester in NYUNY, I will have completed the Foundations of Science courses and introductory physics requirements. These courses will provide a strong scientific background necessary to take other requirments and advanced courses

This decision came about because computer science skills are highly valuable in scientific fields where massive amounts of data are being produced everyday. Taking this introductory class allowed me to notice that the vast potential of computer science lies in the tools it provides to analyze and model these data. Learning about the fundamentals of computer science not only compelled me to pursue a minor in this field, but also sparked my interest in research based on computational methods. My interest is especially focused in interdisciplinary areas of research such as computational biology, which brings together biologists, physicists, engineers, and computer scientists. As per my four-year academic plan, I will have completed the four basic required courses for my computer science minor before my semester abroad. Furthermore, I learned that some of the most sophisticated tools that computer science can offer to model data (e.g., artificial neural networks) require a good understanding of the mathematics behind them. For that reason, I decided that I will take foundational mathematics courses in linear algebra and statistics before my semester

I am interested in contacting Professor Edo Kussell, who employs theoretical and computational modeling of bacteria populations in fluctuating environments, and comparative genomics of experimentally-characterized stochastic switches to study the implications of stochastic processes in adaptation of microorganisms. Connecting with this professor and conducting research under his guidance could lead to my capstone