Biotechnology currently offers a wide range of career choices, working in hospitals or laboratories, or in business, by possibly creating individual startups and developing high-tech applications.
Dr Thanh Trung (2nd from right) and his colleagues win first prize at the 2022 Danang Startup & Innovation Festival
Dr. Nguyen Thanh Trung has been involved in biotechnology research and teaching for several years and invented the “Household-scale caterpillar fungus farming cabinet”, which won first prize at the 2022 Danang Startup & Innovation Festival. He currently works at the Center for Molecular Biology (CMB), lectures at the DTU College of Medicine & Pharmacy (CMP) and answered some questions:
* What do you think about current and future trends in biotechnology?
- I graduated university with a major in Biotechnology and completed a PhD program in Molecular Biology in Germany, now with thirteen years experience teaching and researching. It is rare that other fields can repeatedly help us solve pressing social problems and also enhance the quality of our lives like Biotechnology can.
Biotechnology has a far-reaching impact on many areas, from agriculture, industry and medicine to environmental protection, and is considered a key field in the promotion of future sustainability. Accordingly, in January 2023, the Politiburo passed a resolution on the development and application of Biotechnology in the sustainable development of Vietnam, with the objective of creating a viable advanced Biotechnology sector and entering the list of the top ten countries in Asia by 2030. With the increasingly extensive development of science & technology in Vietnam, Biotechnology is now the ideal choice for the younger generation in Vietnam’s dynamic and rapidly integrating economy.
* With such potential, what jobs can Biotechnology graduates expect Professor?
- Biotech is currently applied in many parts of our lives and graduates can work in agriculture, food processing, pharmacology, medicine, waste treatment, recycling, and so on. Alternatively, they can become researchers, lecturers or managers in higher education institutions.
* What requirements do students need to succeed in Biotechnology careers and how does the educational environment at DTU help students achieve this Professor?
- Biotech is an interdisciplinary and experimental science, requiring much modern, specialized equipment, and the field is developing rapidly. Students must master a basic knowledge of biology with an in-depth understanding of experimental biology, molecular biology, microbial fermentation technology, biopharmaceutical production techniques, applied culture techniques for plant tissue, and so on. They should be acquainted with modern experimental methods, use advanced equipment, possess good foreign language skills, and be creative in order to solve everyday problems.
Although Biotechnology is a relatively new discipline at DTU, the university was well prepared, with investments in curricula, lecturers and an educational infrastructure. In 2014 the university founded the Center for Molecular Biology (CMB), well-equipped with the latest necessary machinery.
At the same time, the university hired researchers and lecturers with PhDs in Biotechnology from Germany, Belgium, South Korea and China, enabling DTU to become a leading university in Biotechnology in Danang and in the Central Vietnam region in general. New students can now be confident that they chosen a university that meets the rigorous requirements in this field.
Dr. Thanh Trung with his “Household-scale caterpillar fungus farming cabinet”
* Where do DTU Biotechnology students normally intern, Professor?
- In February, the first DTU Biotechnology class interned at several well-known institutions in Dalat, including the Scientific Research Institute of the Highlands, the Dalat Pasteur Institute, F1 Biotech, L’angfarm, at the SunFood Dalat hi-tech agricultural cooperative and elsewhere. They learned about research, the cultivation and selection of livestock breeds and crop cultivars, vaccine production technology, medical bio-products, the application of biotech in large-scale cultivation and the production of seedlings, and fermentation in the production of teas and wines. Students could also intern in Danang, at Vinseed Biotech, the first start-up in the cultivation and production of caterpillar fungus in Danang.
* What are Biotechnology students’ chances of starting up their own businesses and developing their own research products?
- The “Household-scale caterpillar fungus farming cabinet” that I invented with colleagues is fully automatic and allows inexperienced people to grow precious medicinal mushrooms at home. The use of the caterpillar fungus improves their health and, at the same time, provides a significant source of income at very low cost and effort if they then market it.
At the age of 42, I entered the 2022 Danang Startup & Innovation Festival and won first prize, which motivated me and other young people. At DTU, students study from a well-designed curriculum and the skills they acquire through practice and internships equip them the confidence and creativity to work in a company or start a business of their own, to create a new job for themselves and several others.
(Media Center)