When I was finishing my undergraduate studies in Colombia, early 2004, I found myself quite confused because I didn't know what to do with my degree in biology... there used to be so little research done in Colombia that becoming a researcher in Colombia seemed like a incredibly remote possibility. I wasn't really into field-work and found slugs and other critters really disgusting to the touch, so I wasn't going to find myself in the jungle anytime soon. The only thing that seemed like a possibility was to teach biology in a high-school, but that wasn't really motivating me either. Nevertheless, I was incredibly interested in photosynthesis research!
Everything changed when I received some good advice from my final-year-project supervisor. He suggested that I should contact laboratories around the world and ask for postgraduate positions. That little piece of advice changed my life! I then proceeded to contact every laboratory in the world doing research in Photosystem II, my favorite subject. From many places I never heard back, but a couple of them were quite interested: Sweden in particular.
This is the unaltered letter that I sent to Prof. Stenbjörn Styring at Uppsala University. He then invited me to do a PhD in his lab. I traveled to Sweden two months after I got my Biology certificate.
My name is Tanai Cardona Londoño, I am a 21 years old Biologist from the University of los Andes, in Bogotá, Colombia. Next September I shall receive my undergraduate title. In consequence, I have begun to approach myself toward my professional and scientific goals: the study of the water oxidation by the oxygen-evolving complex.
Throughout the four and a half years of universitary studies, I have been marveled with the amazing mechanism of photosystem II and its redox chemistry. Inevitably, I have had to meet with the extensive publications from your group, as well as those of other research centers around the world. Therefore, I have been reading about a great variety of related subjects, from the crystallographic structures and spectroscopic measurements to the evolutionary proposals of its appearance in nature.
In that way, I decided to write for my graduation thesis a monograph about the recent advances in WOC-PSII structure and function, in order to familiarize me with the current investigations in the field. I took the decision to elaborate a bibliographic revision because there is neither anybody nor a laboratory interested and equipped in photosynthesis research around the whole boundaries of Colombia. However, I have been directed by a plant molecular biologist Ph.D.―who advise me to write you.
Now that I am close to end my undergraduate studies, I am very interested to begin my postgraduate studies in the fields of structural biology or biochemistry; ideally centered in the investigation of the structure and function of metalloenzymes, especially PSII. That is the reason which motivate me to write this letter, namely to look for the possibility of join me with your research group. This would be invaluable for my scientific growth. At the same time, I would give all my effort and capabilities of working hard.
I was wondering if there is a possibility for linking me with your research team and simultaneously begin my postgraduate studies with a fellowship or some other kind of economical support. If there is, please tell me what should I do to get this great opportunity. If there is not such opportunity, nevertheless, it has been a great pleasure to write you.
Sincerely,
Tanai
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| Uppsala, Sweden |
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