THE RESEARCH ASPIRATIONS OF TWO FEMALE SCIENTISTS

Among the 10 young scientists awarded the 2023 Golden Globe Award for Science and Technology (an award organized by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee and the Ministry of Science and Technology), two female scientists from Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City received this prestigious recognition. Both scientists have achieved outstanding research results in the fields of medical technology and new materials.

Passion for New Materials

With remarkable achievements in the field of new materials technology, Ms. Nguyen Ho Thuy Linh (born in 1990), Head of the Biochemical and Environmental Materials Research Group at the Institute of Nano and Molecular Structural Materials Research (INOMAR), Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, was honored to receive the 2023 Golden Globe Award. This award recognizes her outstanding accomplishments, including over 40 published papers in prestigious national and international scientific journals.

Ms. Nguyen Ho Thuy Linh receiving the 2023 Golden Globe Award

Having had a passion for chemistry since high school, at the age of 18, Thuy Linh chose to major in Chemistry (VNUHCM-University of Science) with the dream of becoming a Chemistry teacher. During her studies, with the enthusiastic guidance of her professors, Thuy Linh began to cultivate her passion for scientific research in her chosen field.

Ms. Nguyen Ho Thuy Linh shared: "In my fourth year, I worked on my graduation thesis on organic-metallic framework materials, but my major was organic chemistry. At the beginning of my research, everything was new to me, and I felt overwhelmed. However, it was precisely during the most challenging times, when everything was new, that I made efforts to acquire more knowledge and spent more time in the laboratory. Working in a modern laboratory with specialized research equipment and learning directly from world-leading scientists in the field of new materials such as Prof. Omar M. Yaghi, Prof. O’Keeffe... has motivated me and nurtured my aspirations and dreams for the research direction I have chosen."

After graduating from university in 2013, Thuy Linh decided to stay at the INOMAR Research Center as a researcher and pursued her master's degree a year later to focus on her scientific research career. With a research focus on organic-metallic framework materials, Thuy Linh concentrated on materials with high strength and commercial potential. One of her significant achievements is the research project titled "Zr and Hf-MOF metallic framework materials: effective heterogeneous catalysts for the synthesis of 2-arylbenzoxazole through alkylation ring-opening reaction." In this project, Thuy Linh applied microwave methods in the experimental process instead of solvent heat methods, reducing the synthesis time for each organic compound from 6-7 hours to 15-60 minutes, thus saving energy for the synthesis process. From this approach, the project synthesized 10 biologically active compounds applicable in various fields such as medicine and the environment. With these outstanding results, the paper on this project was approved for publication in the international journal "Journal of Catalysis," which is classified as Q1 with a high Impact Factor of 7.3.

In 2019, Ms. Nguyen Ho Thuy Linh continued her doctoral training program in the field of Nano and Molecular Structural Materials at the INOMAR, with expected graduation in 2024. Within just 10 years of dedication to scientific research, she has authored over 40 scientific papers, including 21 papers published in international Q1 journals, 17 papers in international Q2 journals, and 4 papers in domestic scientific journals...

Improving Brain Function Research

Dr. Ha Thi Thanh Huong, Head of the Department of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, International University (Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City), is one of the 10 young scientists awarded the 2023 Golden Globe Award for her significant contributions to the field of medical technology.

Dr. Ha Thi Thanh Huong conducting research on brain neurons

Growing up in a family with both parents working as teachers, Thanh Huong showed a keen interest in natural sciences from an early age. Consequently, she won numerous awards in Biology during her high school years, such as the first prize in the city-level Biology contest in grades 11 and 12, and the encouragement prize in the national-level Biology contest. During her university years, Thanh Huong was known as the "scholarship hunter" for her efforts to secure scholarships. In order to qualify for the Vietnam Education Fund scholarship and fulfill her dream of attending Stanford University (USA), she prepared meticulously with her academic achievements, English proficiency certificates, research experience, and, most importantly, a clear intention to return to Vietnam to serve her country. For Stanford University, the strongest point in Thanh Huong's application was her passion for Neuroscience. The head professor of the admissions committee at Stanford University, upon meeting her, expressed that he took the time to read and reread her essay and was deeply moved.

Dr. Thanh Huong shared: "During my undergraduate studies, I majored in Biotechnology, but for my Ph.D., I pursued Neuroscience. I was fortunate to receive comprehensive training in Molecular Biology from Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ho Huynh Thuy Duong, so I quickly grasped this technique when conducting my doctoral research. However, my research at Stanford University involved many other techniques and knowledge, such as culturing nerve cells, mouse dissection, measuring electrophysiological signals... which took me 2-3 years to fully understand and master. But perhaps the biggest challenge I faced was simultaneously working on my dissertation while also thinking about how to build a research team in Vietnam and what techniques to use for immediate deployment upon returning to the country..."
In 2018, immediately after completing her Ph.D. in Neuroscience, the scientist, born in 1989, returned to Vietnam and began teaching and researching at the International University. Currently, Dr. Thanh Huong has established the Brain Health Lab research group to conduct research on improving brain function and mental health. The group currently consists of 20 members, including undergraduate students, graduate students, and research assistants. The research direction of the group focuses deeply on stress and Alzheimer's disease. In the Alzheimer's disease research direction, the group has developed the Brain Analytics software for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease using artificial intelligence based on MRI brain images. The software can provide results within 10 minutes with an accuracy of about 96%, helping doctors save time in diagnosis. In addition to the probability of disease, the software also provides detailed information about brain regions for doctors to monitor conveniently.

Researching the Brain Analytics software has helped the research group led by Dr. Thanh Huong achieve many accomplishments in national and international competitions, such as the third prize in the 16th National Technical Innovation Contest (2022), the "Social Business Innovation Award 2021," and the second prize in the China-ASEAN Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition 2022. Previously, Dr. Thanh Huong was the first Vietnamese female scientist to receive the Early Career Award from the International Brain Research Organization in 2020 and was honored by L’Oréal - UNESCO as the "Outstanding Female Scientist of 2022".

Source: SGGP

Original article: https://www.sggp.org.vn/khat-vong-nghien-cuu-cua-hai-nha-khoa-hoc-nu-post726095.html?fbclid=IwAR0LNxR8trxWjEOAy7Q_PVGBY3yBaQAUMElG77weuM20K_tBZHtyBwRxJGE