My Motivation to Study Biomedical Engineering in The Netherlands

I am writing this letter with a strong will to apply for the PhD position in UMC university. The reasons that motivated me to choose this program is, due to both the educational quality of Dutch institutions and the cultural aspects of The Netherlands. In my viewpoints, the research and the structure of the higher education system in Netherlands is very research oriented with world-class contributions, especially in technology-related fields. This is, in fact, interested me in developing my skills under the supervision of a Dutch institution. Also, one of my interests, partially interconnected with desired research activities, lies in learning about new cultures, which I found that studying under prestigious scholarships, helps to create a diverse network and good connections with the communities.

Additionally, the positive feedback and I hadfrom my supervisors and professors during my Erasmus internship at Department of Applied Physics at the University of Zaragoza encouraged me to apply. I was born in Libya. My memories there are not generally pleasant given the troubles, economic struggles and the lack of advancement in technology especially in the medical field have always been interested in technology and my interest in computing was aroused when I started learning electric electronic engineering.

During my undergraduate studies, my telecommunications engineering skills have also been put to use in summer internship projects in spite of male demand in the technology field in Libya. Even after graduating, my lifelong learning journey never stopped, I continued to learn remotely and consistently improve my skill sets by attending online courses on Coursera. This motivation and the desire for self-improvement, in addition to great work performance and outstanding academic record, enable me to scholarships and grantsto participate in international programs.

The latest scholarship is Turkish Scholarship which enabled me to complete a degree in Biomedical Engineering. I was a high achieving student academically and was very active in the social infrastructure in both universities I attend in libya and turkey. I was able to contribute positively in the university through leading, chairing and volunteering in number societies and clubs. I played an active role in the scientific and technology related bodies and societies in the university. I was an active committee member of the IEEE KTU WiE student branch. I also was a committee member at TurkishWIN “Turkish women’s international Network”; a university society that promotes technology careers among female students. In both societies, I was able to explain the role of women in post-conflict countries, the struggle of conducting business in the Libyan context as well as the obstacles faced by females especially those in the tech industry.

Throughout my journey, I have had a strong drive to help expand the opportunities for women in technologies. Now that I am willing to attend my master’s degree, I find myself interested in conducting oriented research in the specific area of biotech field. Furthermore, I also realized that my home country, Libya, has no to few specialized people in bio engineering. This small number of experts is most likely to be the reason behind the poor quality of the research and services in the country. Therefore, I become motivated to broaden my research skills and aiming to increase Libya’s talent by being among the first females to be specialized in bio research Aspects that encouraged me to pursue PhD degree in Netherlands are the quality of research and the reputation of its educational system. After I have finished my study and research, I believe I will obtain valuable experiences, from richknowledge and education to the wide and diverse range of the connections with researchers. This experience will prepare me to share valuable knowledge when I go back to Libya.

My long-term goal is to be a good role model for Libyan females who want to pursue bio engineering research. I will also contribute to advancing medical technology in my home by teaching or researching, in addition to raising awareness in the society about biomedical engineering topics.