Longitudinal Chemistry Personal Statement

Throughout my upbringing, my parents and immediate family members were adamant about the prospects afforded by higher education. Above all, they portrayed higher education as the gateway to pursuing a career that I would be passionate about. I took their wisdom and sagacity to heart. I am now looking to advance my academic career through graduate-level scholarship and research focusing on drug discovery and medicinal chemistry.
My undergraduate training was centered on nutrition and food science. This is a broad discipline that draws on all of the basic sciences, but places significant emphasis on organic chemistry, biochemistry, and physiology. It was as a result of those studies that medicinal chemistry enticed me. I was keen on acquiring

As a graduate student of medicinal chemistry, I hope to explore and bolster my skills in high throughput screening, small molecule synthesis, structure-activity relationship, mass spectrometry, in vivo animal studies, and molecular modeling. The ability to undertake such a vast array of studies and assays makes the process of drug discovery very exciting. Not only will I be concerned with the synthetic phase, but also I will be able to appreciate the effects that my work in the chemical hood will have on biological systems. I intend to devote my academic and professional lives to the discovery of novel approaches to mitigating degenerative disease states. The realms of anti-cancer and neural agents are of particular interest to me and are what I hope to center my career around. The process of drug discovery and clinical trials is extensive. However, knowing that my work as a researcher will impact and reinforce the standard of living for individuals suffering from chronic illnesses is a fulfilling premise. Training and mentoring from the University of Pittsburgh’s renowned research faculty will provide me with the tools, knowledge, and avenues necessary to pursue a PhD upon graduation from the