University of Texas, Austin PhD Program
Statement Of Purpose
My initial exposure to the exciting world of Artificial Intelligence, which essentially is the capacity of a machine to simulate, or surpass, human behavior, took place when I 'made' my first machine called 'SWAT'. It was a robotic machine designed for a racetrack, capable of handling and maneuvering over rocky terrain & sharp turns. The very fact, that one could imagine a machine to behave & perform like a human being, caught my imagination, and I decided firmly to convert my vision into reality with knowledge, resourcefulness & ingenuity. My adroitness with computers was an additional asset, which I could use to fructify my perception. I began to believe that computer programs were the threads, which could be used to stitch together and manipulate a vast number of electronic circuits to demonstrate human behavior in machines. Clearly, the path towards Artificial Intelligence was plainly evident & irrefutable.
My interest in applied science dates back to my school days. During high school, I was fascinated with electronic gadgets. Soon thereafter, designing and building basic circuits started as a hobby. Along the way, however, I realized that the problem-solving aspect of making electronic gadgets was what I enjoyed the most. Engineering was a natural career choice after this.
During my undergraduate studies at the Electronics Department of Mumbai University, my average grade was consistently first class. A paper presentation on "Voice User Interface', at an event under the aegis of the IEEE, carried an algorithm created by me, and was well received, being one of 16 papers selected out of 250 entries. Subjects like Industrial Automation, which included Fuzzy Logic and Neural Networks, and Computer Networks interested me the most. I was awestruck by the potential of Intel 8086 microprocessor, more so by the manner in which its faster and more powerful cousins revolutionized the working of computers in a decade. I was now determined to focus on Artificial Intelligence, with an ancillary interest in Networking.
On this note, I elected to do a seminar on 'Fuzzy Logic Fuzzification, Inference, Defuzzification', which dealt with the multitude of applications of fuzzy logic in diverse areas. The seminar was a gamut of variations of these processes, analyze operational parameters, materials used and characteristic features and explain the scope of their industrial applications, their relative advantages and drawbacks. This seminar awarded me with a score of 9 marks out of a total of 10, and helped strengthen my concepts of fuzzy logic technology.
My final year in engineering entailed a project on Encoding State Charts into VHDL, where software was created, which generated VHDL code for any given state chart. Acquiring extensive knowledge about VHDL, State Charts, Visual Basic, C & C++ was necessary for this project, which I promptly appropriated. This software is an interactive textual interface application, and extensive testing was required to reach a degree of near perfection. It is currently being implemented in the department, and has achieved 90% efficiency. This secured my team the 3rd rank out of 17 teams, and I obtained a score of 89 marks out of a total of 100, giving me a 5th ranking. Also, my project guide was an exceptional teacher from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai.
The choice to follow up with an MS in Artificial Intelligence was very natural. During my Masters studies at the Computer Science Department of La Trobe University, Australia I graduated with M.S (Artificial Intelligence & Internet Computing), Masters with Research, and was awarded the ‘Masters Computer Science Award winner 2006’ - Awarded for Outstanding Performance acing the University in Artificial Intelligence. My Masters Research was in the Artificial Intelligence domain, specifically Artificial Intelligent Agents (AI Agents) applied to Financial Stock Markets. I designed my AI Agents to mimic human herding behavior, and gave them access to the information on technical indicators and fundamentals of a company to decide if the AI Agent wanted to buy, sell or hold a company stock. UK Stock exchange today has AI Agents enabled automated trading who trade in fraction of seconds.
During my time at the University along with my MS studies I started my second company Medyalia which went on to win the Best Company of the Year award amongst other awards. My company leveraged technology to address dementia which is one of the top 3 health issues Australia faces. June of 2007, I decided to branch away from entrepreneurship and into the corporate world with Accenture. During the last round of interview with the MD I clearly set my goal to take Accenture APAC from a multiple Million-dollar company to a Billion-dollar company. In 2015 having accomplished this goal I decided to stretch myself by stepping up to shoulder responsibilities as an Independent Board Director. To achieve this goal, I graduated with a GAICD in January 2016 from the Australian Institute of company Directors and in April 2016 was confirmed to join the Mambourin Enterprises Ltd Pty as an independent board director making me one of the youngest board director under 35 in 2016. In September 2016, I founded AH Syndicate to bridge the gap in Artificial Intelligence at the Board level within Australia. By 2018 different clients started tapping on our shoulders to get our assistance with execution of the AI Strategy roadmap we had build into their Business Strategy. This led to AH Syndicate branching out into AI Product designing & implementation transformations for businesses. In parallel, in May of 2018 I decided to dive back into academia with an Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Program from Stuart Business School, Illinois Institute Of Technology and Great Lakes to equip myself with the latest in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning as well as to expand my network within the domain. My capstone project was awarded ‘Excellent’ grade and recognised as outstanding. 2020 the world came to a stand still with COVID and my mentors urged me to step back into the corporate world to assist reignite business & economic cycle and this saw me joining SAS Institute in 2021 as their Director Innovation – AI &Emerging Technologies. By October of 2022 I had successfully delivered SAS Innovation strategy as well as their innovation delivery & transformation program and simultaneously the world saw first wave of mass layoffs at big tech giants. A lot of people reached out to me on LinkedIn with concerns on Artificial Intelligence & future of jobs as well as how they could navigate the change. This led to my first book which was published in 2023, Billion-Dollar You: The Secrets Released 14th February ’23. 2023 –’24 I have been speaking at universities globally to assist graduate and post graduate participants with navigating technology trends and managing disruptive changes brought about by it. AH Syndicate also assists published Authors with converting their paper back books to eBooks leveraging end to end Artificial Intelligence enabled automation. September ‘24 I started my Chief Digital & Artificial Officer Program at Indian School of Business (ISB) with the view of serving the world as a leader in Artificial Intelligence.
While my impending courses will help me develop a thorough insight into Artificial Intelligence leadership and networking, the start-up and industry environment that I am currently in cannot support my desire for research. I possess the relevant skills in Artificial Intelligence, but I must build on these to achieve my goals of undertaking cutting-edge research in the intersection of 3 domains - Space, the final frontier, commercial missions exploration technologies, Quantum Computing & Artificial Intelligence. I therefore believe that I must return to the academic world for further growth.
I strongly believe that a well-rounded personality needs to be nourished with extracurricular activities also, in which I have hardly left any stones unturned. Apart from organizing college events like quiz contests & fashion shows, I have also developed software for the college library. I have excelled in state level competitive exams, with first class marks in National language examinations, and have secured a first class in the Computer Hardware Maintenance with Internet Networking & Multimedia program conducted at the Government Polytechnic. I have also passed elementary & intermediate exams in drawing and obtained a first class in the ancient Indian dance form of Bharat Natyam. In sports, I have been awarded a bronze medal in high jump event at State level & gold medal in high jump event at district level, and have won accolades in javelin, hurdles and athletics at school levels. I hold a Black Belt in Karate- Shitorio, and have bagged a gold medal for the same at a district level championship. I also indulge in community services, by raising funds for retarded persons, and have worked with orphans at a local orphanage, teaching & instructing them. Additionally, since I have completed the Teachers Training Course in Yogic Sciences, I availed the opportunity to teach yoga at a prestigious yoga school. Apart from local languages, I have also dabbled in German, Spanish, French & Arabic.
I wish to earn a PhD, specializing in the intersection of Space, the final frontier, commercial missions exploration technologies, Quantum Computing & Artificial Intelligence. I have spoken to my professors, seniors and colleagues about my choice of University, and have applied to University of Texas, Austin because it is reputable for its facilities and resources. The department web site revealed a very strong faculty involved in extensive leadership in the area of Space commercial missions, Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing. Specifically, the Space Entrepreneurship Program which the University offers I’d like to be considered for given my background as an entrepreneur as this will assist me with applying my PhD research in the industry. All of this has strengthened my resolve to study at University of Texas, Austin. I bring along a strong grasp of fundamentals in Artificial Intelligence, an aptitude for innovative technologies and teamwork, business acumen, a zest for challenges and an enthusiastic desire to learn all I can. I would like to take with me, in addition to knowledge of Space, Quantum Computing and Artificial Intelligence domains, a genuine matrix of strong and lasting relationships with my faculty and fellow-students. I hope that my background and qualifications are suitable for the PhD program at your esteemed university.