Motivation Letter: I, Janakiraman Thiyagarajan with profound humbleness present my interest to pursue the post graduate program in the

UK through the Commonwealth fellowship. My career goal is to set up a Research and Development company that solves engineering problems to serve humanity and in order to fulfil my goal; I require a reinforcement program to foster my technical skills in the multifaceted domain of Aeronautics. I would like to work in the domain of Aero engines on returning from UK mainly because this has been the technology that India is planning to improvise in the next few years to come. I fervently believe that a post graduate program at renowned institutions has the apt prospectus to help me develop multi-disciplinary skills tailor-made to work in the allied fields of Aeronautics, thereby serving my society in the best manner possible. Though I have background knowledge of the fundamentals of Gas turbines, a dedicated postgraduate course is essential to augment my understanding of the subjects further to accomplish my goal of reaching the pinnacle of expertise and becoming an avid researcher. This indeed would help me serve my society which demands dexterous engineers in the varied fields and accomplish my long term goal of setting up a R&D organisation to solve problems and serve humanity. I have worked in multicultural environments and can bring good experience and knowledge to share with my classmates and learn from them at the institutions in the UK. I am a sincere, self-motivated, dedicated, disciplined individual looking for the right direction to propel my career which I have found in the post graduate programs listed in my preferences. I have demonstrated the ability to adapt to diverse cultures and learning atmospheres and will certainly utilize my post graduate course to the best manner possible. Born in the year 1989 in a middle class family, my high secondary education was not affordable by my parents but I was awarded a full course fee sponsor for my meritorious performance by CD-TVS, Sundaram Clayton Limited. I developed a passion towards airplanes, environment and service to society very early. My essay Eco concerns and sustainability was ranked one among top 10 all over India. My academic excellence blessed me a merit seat for my Bachelors in Aeronautical Engineering in 2006 at Tagore Engineering College, India. My social consciousness helped me design an electronic circuit using LDR (Light Dependant Resistor) that could turn OFF street lights automatically based on the intensity of sunlight. My interest to build airplanes intensified steeply when I repaired a crashed airplane model and flew it. The design of gliders embarked a strong importance of accuracy and attention to detail on me. I led a team of two students to victory at both Aeromodelling and Water Rocketry events at a National symposium. The spirit of our teamwork ensured success and the joy of fruition for our hard work was priceless. I was rewarded for my scientific yearning by Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) to attend the prestigious Summer Research Fellowship Program (SRFP) 2009 at the globally renowned institute, Indian Institute of Science (IISc.). I worked on flapping wing flight, designed a rubber band powered ornithopter and my work was selected as one of the top 10 projects and I was invited to attend SRFP 2010. For SRFP 2010, I proposed a concept that struck my mind while reading the book Fundamentals of Aerodynamics, where it was mentioned that a spinning cylinder could produce more lift than a wing of equal planform area but it cannot be used as it produced more drag. I decided to reduce that drag by putting this spinning cylinder at the leading edge of the wing. This concept of enhancing Lift by incorporating a spinning cylinder at the leading edge was simulated using CFD tools and validated with earlier experimental findings from the AIAA journal papers. My zeal to serve my society and country was demonstrated post the terrorist attack in Mumbai, India on 26 November, 2008. During this incident, I had not only helped people via social media to get
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information about their kith and kin in Mumbai, but took up a challenge to design, fabricate and fly a micro aerial vehicle that could be employed in reconnaissance and military surveillance as a part of my Bachelors project. I led a team of three students, conceptualised the basic design parameters based on the experience of the rubber band powered ornithopter. Experimental judgement and a logical approach helped us build an ornithopter which can carry a maximum payload of 10g. The work was thoroughly appreciated, globally acclaimed and published at two international conferences, namely 13th Asian Congress on Fluid Mechanics and 4th International conference on Fluid Mechanics & Fluid Power. While at college, I also participated in conducting seminars, symposia, cultural competitions and health education camps. In academics, I excelled by securing a University Rank (Ranked 28th among 776 students who graduated) and an aggregate of 82%. I was awarded a Gold medal and cash prize for this achievement. Indian industry today is on the threshold of entering into a new era where it will assume greater responsibility in making the nation self-reliant in Defence Production. The resurgence of Indias manufacturing sector has been remarkable. Not only are the profits soaring, but also the Aerospace sector is making its presence felt abroad as many Indian firms are becoming transnational companies. Aerospace is a strategically important sector and is characterised by large investments and an exceptionally long program life. With all the expertise and immense workforce, India is forging ahead with the indigenisation plans for the Airframe and Aero engines mainly eyeing the civil aerospace market. These plans clearly highlight the requirement of skilled workforce to cater the needs of Aerospace industries. With several upcoming projects in Aero engines and airframes, I believe this is the right time to get trained and specialise in the Aerospace domain, especially Gas Turbines, taking into consideration the immense potential in the field and requirement of specialist engineers. This will no doubt help my home country in terms of acquiring an industry ready engineer who has been trained at the renowned universities which have been pioneers in the field of Aeronautics. Also, the contacts and networking capabilities I possess would help me connect with Professors, experts or technological specialists even after returning to India from the UK. Thus, my home country, India, is at a higher advantage of possessing skilled labour and future leader in the emerging field of Aeronautics. Work Experience: QuEST Global, Bengaluru, India April 2011 to Sept. 2013 I have carried out several projects related to performance of a development Turbofan engine, Trent XWB and product development activities of Airframe components. My projects have been challenging and demanding in terms analytical skills, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, mechanics of solids and materials. These challenges have helped enhance my understanding of the subjects better and helped me solve engineering problems faster. I have demonstrated the zeal to learn, take up challenges, shoulder responsibility and solve complex engineering problems and share knowledge. Rolls-Royce Plc., Derby, United Kingdom June 2011 November 2011 Initially, I was trained at Rolls-Royce Derby, United Kingdom for a period of 6 months on performance analysis. I was given the responsibility of transferring thermodynamic models to an offshore location which was tried for the first time. Though it was a complex task, I planned the steps to be executed in a phased manner and successfully completed it. I had also recorded the lessons learnt to help improvise the process in future. I had established a process to analyse the deterioration of Turbofan engines and have trained my team of three engineers on troubleshooting such problems. I had exhibited sincerity and the impetus of self-

learning, right from Technical tasks to Project management knowledge areas, thereby gaining the confidence of Rolls-Royce. Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IITM), India August 2010 to April 2011 I joined IITM as a Project Associate, where I studied the flow patterns on the Ornithopters wings to understand and improve the aerodynamics of ornithopters. I initiated the setting up of a laboratory dedicated to experiments pertaining to unsteady aerodynamics. I also analyzed the feasibility of conducting Particle Image Velocimetry (a technique to capture velocity fields experimentally) on the wing of an ornithopter. To conclude, I humbly thank you for providing this opportunity to present me and I fervently hope that the Fellowship committee would grant me an opportunity to pursue the post graduate program through the Commonwealth Fellowship program 2014 and enable me to serve my motherland further.

Sincerely,

Janakiraman Thiyagarajan