Dr. Huynh Le Thai Bao, MSc Nguyen Duy Khoi and MSc. Nguyen Huynh Kim Ngan from the DTU Institute of Fundamental and Applied Sciences (IFAS) in HCMC were awarded PhD scholarships by the Vingroup Innovation Fund (VinIF) of the Vingroup Corporation. They will become some of the youngest doctors to graduate in Medicine from DTU.
In 2022, VinIF awarded 360 scholarships with a total value of 62 billion VND to 150 outstanding Master’s students, 150 PhD students and 60 PhD holders, in thirteen disciplines. The awardees were outstanding young scientists with more than 2,600 total publications in national and international journals and conferences and 200 with national-level scientific research awards. Among them were 24 university valedictorians, 13 candidates doing their PhD’s after their Bachelor’s degrees, and 38 PhD holders who defended their theses abroad.
Recipients of the scholarship must have an excellent academic record, have conducted research in the two years before the application, have received several awards and a specific community-oriented product for practical use, together with letters of recommendation from reputable scientists in their fields.
MD Huynh Le Thai Bao
Thai Bao is currently medical doctor, lecturer, and acting head of training for the Hospital Practice at the DTU College of Medicine & Pharmacy. He currently holds the position of editorial secretary of the journal and the website of the Vietnamese Association of Diabetes and Endocrinology (VADE), and is the founder and head of the Medical Volunteer Club, and project leader of the “Online Medicine Ecosystem” project which connects four fields (education, health, technology, and community activities), five platforms, and three sustainable development goals. It currently counts ten million visits, three million users and two thousand regular users per day.
MD Thai Bao has many impressive achievements:
- Voted in the top 30 outstanding young people in Vietnam in 2022 (Forbes Under 30)
- First prize at the 2021 Youth Drivers for Change awards, by CSDS Vietnam
- 2021 Engaged Scholar award by VCE, CSDS Vietnam, and Irish AID
- First prize at 2021 Vietnam Social Innovation Challenge (VSIC), as project leader and team advisor
- Best Project and Most Influential Project at the 2021 Venus Techfest Awards
- Second prize for a report at the 2022 National Conference on Endocrinology & Diabetes
MD Thai Bao plans to continue in-depth research and work on science & technology projects in internal medicine & endocrinology, especially on diabetes and on the diabetic foot syndrome.
“I think scientific research is very important, but it’s even more important to apply research results in the service of society on the basis of science & technology in the most effective way,” Thai Bao explains. “To do that, besides each individual having the sufficient knowledge and skills, it’s also necessary to have more multi-disciplinary and multi-field teams. The key to solving this problem is an active and dedicated younger generation.”
In addition to MD Thai Bao, MSc Nguyen Duy Khoi, also a researcher at DTU’s IFAS Institute, received a PhD scholarship from VinIF and is currently focused on two main research directions:
- The synthesis of porous materials, like zeolite and biochar, from cheap domestic raw materials for application to the environmental treatment of radioactive iodine, metals (Pb, Ni, Cd…), organic pigments, and antibiotics in aqueous solutions
- Their morphology, structure, and properties using the latest methods of physical and chemical analysis
MSc. Nguyen Duy
MSc. Duy Khoi has published more than ten papers, with five in ISI-indexed international journals in the Q1 and four in journals in Q2 range, as first author or co-author. Most of these are related to the synthesis and analysis of the characteristics of porous inorganic materials (MOF, biochar, red mud) and their application in environmental treatment, such as gas sensors and heavy metal adsorption.
“I firmly believe that research is a long journey and results only come through serious dedication with timely support,” MSc. Nguyen Duy Khoi says. “This scholarship will boost my confidence in my chosen field and motivate me to work even harder than before. The Vingroup Innovation Fund scholarship has given us the peace of mind to work securely and invest more in research projects that are refined steadily, day by day.
“We also receive the maximum the support from the university leadership and the Institute of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, who have established the ideal environment here for fervent young scientists like myself. We benefit from regular financial support for our laboratory equipment and chemicals and so on, which enables us to improve our professional qualifications and work more effectively.”
Nguyen Huynh Kim Ngan
Ms. Kim Ngan is another researcher at DTU’s Institute of Fundamental and Applied Sciences in HCMC and was also awarded a national VinIF scholarship in 2022. She focuses on the interaction of strong laser pulses with atoms and molecules and currently has three publications in ISI-indexed international journals in Q1, one as first and two as second author. The papers specialize on strong field physics, specifically the interaction of molecules with extremely short laser pulses.
(Media Center)