Specific Aims

1 page maximum

  • Start with a hook
  • State the problem and its significance
  • Describe your new idea or novel approach to solve the problem in sentences
  • Describe specific research aims that allow you to enable your approach, typically 2-3 aims
  • State impact of this thesis if aims are successful

Research Strategy

6 pages maximum

A. Significance

1/2-1 page

Does the project address an important problem or a critical barrier to progress in the field? Is there a strong scientific premise for the project? If the aims of the project are achieved, how will scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or engineering practice be improved? How will successful completion of the aims change the concepts, methods, technologies, services, state of the arts, practices, or implementations that drive this field?

  • State background of the problem and significance in more details
  • Make the reader appreciate the challenge of the problem you wish to solve
  • Describe prior art and its limitations
  • Describe how a solution will have high impact in the field
  • Good practice: summarize or bullet the reasons for significance at the end of section

B. Innovation

1/2-1 page

Does the application challenge and seek to shift current research or engineering paradigms by utilizing novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or practices? Are the concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or practices novel to one field of research or novel in a broad sense? Is a refinement, improvement, or new application of theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation proposed?

  • State the innovation or innovations of your study
  • Make the reader appreciate that these are new ideas
  • Show how your innovations address limitations of prior art, contrasting with prior art
  • Good practice: summarize or bullet the innovations at the end of section

C. Approach

4-5 pages

Are the overall strategy, methodology, and proposed analyses well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the specific aims of the project? Provide initial thoughts on how to break the problem down in each aim. A detailed plan is not necessary.

Answer the following questions:

  • What do you see as the significant technical challenges to this work?
  • What are the concrete first steps you will take toward meeting those challenges?

D. Milestone and Deliverable

1/2 page

Please mention timeline with measurable milestones and highlight expected deliverables during your research with dates and events.

References

Committee members are from various backgrounds. Please add references so that committee members may look up the references.