OBJECTIVE OF PURSUING THIS COURSE

Name: Vivekananda Panchangmath

Application to Master of Science (Geotechnical Engineering) Program
Major Area of Interest: Geotechnical Engineering
My motivation to do Masters of Science (Geotechnical Engineering) at National University of
Singapore developed as I worked in an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station and
associated tunnels construction project in Singapore.
Presently, I am working with Singapore governments Land Transport Authority (LTA) as a
Senior Project Engineer. The project to which I have been assigned is worth S$188 million and is
a part of LTAs Downtown Line (DTL) project which connects the north-west and eastern regions
to the Central Business District (CBD) of Singapore. LTAs DTL project is proposed to be
completed in 2017 and will be 41.9 kilometers long underground automated train line consisting
of 34 stations.
I completed undergraduate program in Civil Engineering from Visveswaraiah Technological
University in India in June 2007. Subsequently, after working for about a year as a site engineer
in a residential multi-storey building project in India, I did two year full-time graduate program
in Structural Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi). Then from July
2010 to mid June 2013, I worked as a structural design engineer involved in design of road
bridges in India. From end June 2013, I have been working as a Senior Project Engineer with
LTA in Singapore.
In my current organization, I lead a team of junior engineers and technicians to supervise the
construction works. The areas that I am mainly responsible for are: technical, quality control,
safety and programme management of MRT construction. I work closely with contractor and
liaise with structural designer and geotechnical engineer to ensure that the technical issues
affecting the work progress are quickly sorted out, and construction works are safely and timely
completed. From this work, I have learnt about the importance of Geotechnical Engineering in
underground construction and tunneling. Geotechnical Engineering forms the basis for design
and construction of temporary earth retaining structures, tunnels and permanent structures.
Therefore, I intend to return to the academic world to gain further knowledge in Geotechnical
Engineering which will help me advance my career in this field.
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From the Texas A&M Universitys Zachry Department of Civil Engineering website, I found out
about the impressive research work being carried out by the faculty in various fields of
Geotechnical Engineering. I am particularly interested in Dr El Naggars research on
understanding behavior of buried infrastructure, as I am involved in underground construction
project. It would be an honor for me to work in similar challenging project under your
universitys distinguished faculty.
The years of work experience I have in both design and construction field have improved my
management skills, and my ability to understand complex technical details and think critically. I
am confident that this coupled with the masters degree in Structural Engineering from one of the
prestigious institutes in India has prepared me well for graduate program in Civil Engineering at
Dalhousie University.
I bring with me the years of experience which have reinforced the fundamentals of Civil
Engineering in me, the ability to teach and work with others, and the desire to learn as much as
possible from the distinguished faculty and the diverse student community. Lastly, I look forward
to build strong professional links during my graduate program.
My ultimate goal is to obtain doctoral degree and follow up with a career in research and
teaching at a university. I wish to make significant contributions in the field of Geotechnical
Engineering by carrying out relevant research in the critical areas of this field. I believe doing
masters degree in Dalhousie University will help me achieve this goal. I hope that my work
experience and academic qualifications makes me a suitable candidate to join Dalhousie
University. Thank you for your time and consideration.

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