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STATEMENT OF PURPOSE Akhil Lohchab Growing up in the late 90’s, I witnessed computers revolutionize India – we had cellphones and personal computers and the internet transforming our lives - and like most other kids, I was fascinated by them. It wasn’t until I took course on QBasic in 8th grade, however, that I really took a liking to computer programming. The idea of computer ‘languages’ seemed almost magical to me. Over the years, that proclivity for programming grew into a passion and led me to take more programming electives in higher grades. I also took the initiative to set up a student-run Computer Club in my high school and host our first annual Computer Symposium. My upbringing in Delhi also made me aware of the gaping inequalities of wealth distribution in our society and as my interest in Computer Science deepened, it only reinforced my belief that lean-technologies can help governments of developing countries in bringing their policies to the altar of execution more effici ently. It is that passion which has grown over the years into a single-minded pursuit of Computer Science as a serious academic career, and led me to pursue a B.Tech in Information Technology at Delhi Technological University (DTU; formerly Delhi College of Engineering), one of the premier institutions in the country. I aspire to attain a doctorate in the areas of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP). I believe Berkeley’s MS in Computer Science will help me expand both the breadth and depth of my knowledge in these areas and allow me to identify a specialization for a subsequent doctoral degree. My undergraduate degree at DTU has laid the groundwork for me through a well-designed curriculum that has helped me develop... ...Documents’ particularly interesting. I would also relish the opportunity to contribute to the AI research project on ‘Child Question Answering Software’. Berkeley offers me the unique proposition of not only being able to gain expertise and depth of knowledge in my fields of interest, but the chance to interact with a highly motivated and talented cohort of students that would help me grow as an individual. Pursuant to my doctoral research, I envision myself as an academic preferably teaching in the field of natural language processing. A MS in Computer Science from Berkeley will equip me with the proficiency and gravitas required to embark on my journey to become a Professor. I believe that my undergraduate research work makes me uniquely poised to pursue a graduate program and I am confident that I can be a valuable addition to the graduate community at Berkeley.