Why I chose to study at Southampton
My undergraduate degree in chemical and electrochemical engineering was in India, my home country. It involved a lot of research and we used books written by Southampton's Electrochemistry Group.
The books helped me and prompted me to find out more about the research group. I wanted to improve and mature my knowledge of the subject and eventually pursue a career in electrochemistry research.
There are not many universities that offer a master’s in electrochemistry and I found the Southampton professors very welcoming and interested in me as a student. This played a major part in making me feel at home at Southampton.
I lived in University accommodation during my one-year master’s degree. Southampton immediately felt like home and as a nature-lover there were many places nearby I could visit including the New Forest.
I was fortunate to secure a GREAT scholarship to help fund my master’s studies. This meant I didn't have to worry about paying back a loan before starting my PhD.
The lecturers in electrochemistry and battery technologies at Southampton are world class. Their motivation and interaction with students helped develop and deepen our understanding. The facilities have an abundance of equipment to carry out electrochemical experiments.
Winning a prestigious Dean’s scholarship and securing my PhD at the University of Manchester is all because of what I did at Southampton.
Plans for the future
I'm continuing with my PhD research into producing chemicals using electricity instead of fossil fuels. I hope that this could lead to the conversion of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere or agricultural feedstock into useful chemicals. This would help achieve net zero sustainability goals.
I plan to stay in the UK for the medium term and hope to become a university professor. I would like to continue with research alondside teaching.
The UK has given me a lot in terms of education and financial support, and I also feel at home here. I would like to contribute something back and then I would like to go back to India and contribute something to my home country.
