Graduated as valedictorian in the US, PhD returns home to teach under billion-dollar project

According to information from Ho Chi Minh City National University, young PhD Can Tran Thanh Trung, who graduated from the US, was admitted to the VNU350 program - a program to attract, retain and develop 350 outstanding young scientists and leading scientists working at Ho Chi Minh City National University.

Can Tran Thanh Trung and his mother on graduation day from Duke University, USA (Photo: VNUHCM).

Dr. Can Tran Thanh Trung, born in 1995, a former student of the Gifted High School (Ho Chi Minh City National University), is the winner of the Gold Medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad in Colombia in 2013.

He received a full scholarship to Duke University, USA - a school in the top 7 in the best university rankings in the US, according to US News 2024. At this prestigious university, in 2018, Trung graduated as valedictorian in mathematics.

Before returning home, he successfully defended his doctoral thesis in mathematics from the California Institute of Technology, USA. According to THE 2024 Rankings, the California Institute of Technology is ranked 7th among the best universities in the world.

Admitted under the VNU350 project, Dr. Can Tran Thanh Trung will teach and research at the University of Natural Sciences, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City.

Sharing with Ho Chi Minh City National University, Dr. Can Tran Thanh Trung said that since 2016, he and the PiMA group have organized math and application summer camps for high school students across the country.

The program aims to introduce modern applied mathematics to high school students and to train other soft skills such as teamwork, research, and programming. To date, many PiMA campers have been very successful, currently working for leading technology companies or as graduate students at major universities around the world.

Upon returning home, he cherished the step-by-step development of PiMA to become a quality training and research center for mathematics and applications of the University of Science (Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City).

It is known that, since he was a student, Can Tran Thanh Trung was passionate about training and guiding students because he realized that Vietnamese students have a lot of potential, not inferior to students studying in the US.

Can Tran Thanh Trung (far right) and the first group of students he guided at PiMA (Photo: VNUHCM).

However, when he talked with professors abroad, he learned that Vietnamese students studying mathematics in the country are not highly appreciated.

Therefore, Mr. Trung hopes that after accessing new knowledge from the world, he will return to Vietnam to train generations of students so that in the near future there will be more young experts and mathematical researchers.

The VNU350 program of Ho Chi Minh City National University aims to attract, retain and develop 350 outstanding young scientists and leading scientists working at this university.

Regarding the remuneration policy, outstanding young scientists will be granted a type C scientific research project (maximum budget of 200 million VND) in the first two years; in the third year, they will be granted a type B project (maximum budget of 1 billion VND); in the fourth year, they will be supported to invest in a laboratory for scientific research, with a maximum budget of 10 billion VND.

In the fifth year, support and guidance will be provided on procedures and processes for recognition of meeting the standards for the title of Associate Professor at the State level.

For leading scientists, in the first 2 years, they will be granted a type B scientific research project with a maximum budget of 1 billion VND.

In the following years, the company will receive support for investing in laboratories for scientific research, with a maximum budget of 30 billion VND; support for establishing strong research groups; and support for registering to chair topics at all levels.

Scientists will enjoy income and other benefits according to the specific policies of the unit where the scientist works (including salary, bonuses, allowances, additional income, allowances exceeding teaching standards, seniority allowances, scientific research support, rewards, etc.).

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/tot-nghiep-thu-khoa-o-my-tien-si-ve-nuoc-day-hoc-theo-de-an-tien-ty-20240615075023833.htm