This year, four VinUniversity senior students Bui Khanh Nam, Lai Dac Tien, Nguyen Dai Nghia and Nguyen Thai Hung were awarded VISHC Master and PhD Scholarships for their potential to contribute to the advancement of research in Engineering and Computer Science.
The VinUni-Illinois Smart Health Center (VISHC) Master and PhD Fellowship Program, funded with $13.5 million by Vingroup over ten years, aims to train the next-generation workforce and advance Smart Health through a collaboration between VinUniversity and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). The program supports 50 Masters students, 50 Ph.D. students, and 10 Postdoctoral Scholars from Vietnam. Through the 1.1000 Vingroup Scholarship Program, each Ph.D. student, co-advised by both institutions, will split their study time between VinUni and UIUC, receiving stipends of $10k/year at VinUni and $25k/year at UIUC, along with tuition remission and research support. This initiative fosters long-term academic and research collaborations, aiming to complete all Ph.D. funding by 2032.
Dr. Hieu Pham, who serves as the Associate Director of the VinUni-Illinois Smart Health Center, shares: “It is with immense pride and joy that we celebrate the remarkable achievements of our students who have been awarded the prestigious and highly selective VISHC PhD Scholarships and accepted into the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Their dedication, academic excellence, and exceptional research capabilities have set them apart in a program that rigorously selects only the most outstanding candidates.”
Nguyen Dai Nghia (top), Lai Dac Tien (middle left), Bui Khanh Nam (middle right), and Nguyen Thai Hung (bottom).
Bui Khanh Nam holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from VinUniversity, where he graduated with a GPA of 3.77/4.0. Notably, he received the “Best Project Award” at the VinUni-Illinois Smart Health Center Summer School in 2023. Nam has extensive research experience, having served as a Research Assistant at VinUniversity, where he specialized in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations to analyze airflow patterns and aerosol dispersion in indoor environments. With a dedication to conducting cutting-edge research in Structural Engineering, Nam aims to focus on computational methods to optimize indoor air quality and structural integrity. His ultimate goal is to leverage his research to enhance Vietnam’s infrastructure by introducing advanced technology and innovative solutions to address the country’s structural and environmental challenges.
Lai Dac Tien earned his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from VinUniversity. He has been recognized for his academic excellence with the Dean’s List Award for multiple semesters and secured the 3rd Prize in the Engineering Project of CECS Day 2021. Tien has substantial research experience, having worked as a Research Assistant under Prof. Van-Dinh Nguyen on Semantic Communications, where he enhanced transmission speed by learning key semantic attributes of original data. Additionally, under the guidance of Prof. Laurent El Ghaoui, he investigated implicit deep learning models, developed a toolkit for visualizing these models, and highlighted their correlation with neural networks. His current research focuses on collecting and processing biomedical images, particularly cardiac muscle tissue cells, aiming to develop machine learning models for automated heart disease diagnosis. Tien aspires to continue his research at VISHC and VinUni, collaborating with hospitals like VinMec to establish a comprehensive medical database for research and to integrate their findings into diagnostic equipment and procedures in Vietnamese hospitals.
Nguyen Dai Nghia, a senior student studying Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from VinUniversity, is an upcoming PhD student distinguished by his EXCEL Award for Exceptional Capability during his school years. His research experience includes serving as a Research Assistant with MAIL Research under the guidance of Prof. Doan Dang Khoa and at the Virtual Reality and Hologram Lab with Prof. Pham Ngoc Nam – Vice Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science at VinUniversity. Nghia is currently focused on Continual Learning and plans to delve into Causal Inference, specifically for Smart Health. Upon completing his PhD, he aims to return to Vietnam to teach and conduct research at VinUni or a public university, contributing to the advancement of computer science and smart health technologies in his home country.
Nguyen Thai Hung is a senior Computer Science student at the College of Engineering & Computer Science, VinUniversity, where he has consistently excelled, earning a place on the Dean’s List from 2020 to 2024 and receiving a 100% merit-based scholarship. His impressive research experience includes roles as a Research Assistant at VinUniversity and a Research Intern at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He has also contributed to several publications with his Professors Khoa D Doan and Kok-Seng Wong from the College of Engineering and Computer Science since his early college years. Hung’s research interests focus on security and privacy in technological products and services, with particular emphasis on machine learning, data analytics, autonomous vehicles, and the Internet of Things. He is dedicated to advancing knowledge in security and privacy, and his future goals include exploring and contributing to these critical areas through both academic and practical endeavors.
Wishing you all a successful, meaningful and impactful research journey ahead!
Editor’s Note: This article is written by Nguyen Thi Van Anh from Graduate Admissions Department at VinUniversity on June 15, 2024. For more information about the VISHC Master and PhD Scholarship Program, please visit our website.
