Nguyen Tuan Anh, the 2002 Biology Olympiad bronze medalist, became an associate professor at HKUST, after many failures and doubts about his path.
Tuan Anh, 40 years old, from Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh, has worked at the School of Natural Sciences, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) since 2017, and was appointed Associate Professor in July. This is a top 60 school in the world, 15 in Asia, according to QS rankings in 2024.
He teaches biotechnology courses and guides master's and doctoral students. His research focuses on using biochemistry and bioinformatics to decode the molecular biological mechanisms of proteins and enzymes interacting with RNA. His research results contribute to understanding the causes of RNA-related diseases and developing new methods for regulating gene expression using RNA.
"I am lucky and proud that even though I was born in a small village in Vietnam, I can still be colleagues with people from the world's leading environments," Tuan Anh shared.
Associate Professor Nguyen Tuan Anh. Photo: Provided by the character
Tuan Anh has been passionate about Biology since high school. When reading textbooks, he was impressed by the high level of rationality in biological systems.
"Organisms, whether bacteria or large animals, all have mechanisms that help them survive in different environments after millions of years of evolution," he said, adding that he once dreamed of writing a biological mechanism.
Thanks to his efforts, the student of the general education system of Luong Van Tuy High School for the Gifted won second prize in the national excellent student competition, then a bronze medal in the 2002 International Biology Olympiad. Tuan Anh was then admitted directly to the talented Bachelor's class, University of Natural Sciences, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, to pursue research on the biological mechanisms of enzymes.
Professor Phan Tuan Nghia, who guided Tuan Anh during his student days, remembers that his student showed passion and talent for scientific research very early on.
"Tuan Anh is very intelligent, proactive, creative in work, modest, and has a high spirit of cooperation," he commented.
During this time, he also talked to a Korean professor who was also researching enzymes when he came to Vietnam to recruit students. Realizing that Korea was an advanced learning environment, no less than schools in the US, in 2006, Tuan Anh went to the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) to pursue a PhD in Biochemistry.
Here, Tuan Anh tried to exchange and learn from senior researchers about how to work with machines and chemicals in the laboratory. It took him about a year to catch up with the international environment, but he encountered academic obstacles.
Despite his diligence, his and his colleagues' first scientific work was rejected for publication many times.
"I was very disappointed, because it was the first time, but I was very excited and had a lot of hope," Tuan Anh said, adding that many times he thought he was not capable enough and not suitable, and that perhaps he should switch to another field.
Encouraged by the professor, he regained his spirit to continue. The work was later published in a small scientific journal. Tuan Anh was trusted by the professor and introduced to study for a postdoctoral degree at Seoul National University.
The lab where Tuan Anh went was led by an expert who discovered the biosynthesis of microRNA (microstrand RNA), a newly discovered type of very small RNA. These RNA microstrands control many important biological processes in cells, and abnormalities in its activity are the cause of diseases such as cancer and neurological diseases. The lab wanted to decode the molecular biological mechanism of the enzyme involved in their biosynthesis.
One of the enzyme molecules he studied had already been thoroughly studied by previous scientists. The model to explain its molecular mechanism was published in CELL magazine - the world's number 1 journal on biological sciences, since 2006, and has been recognized by many experts around the world. However, this model did not convince Tuan Anh. He proposed to the professor to prove it again and use the new model, but was not accepted. To convince him, Tuan Anh asked to research in parallel with another topic assigned by the professor.
"In the beginning, I still had a lot of doubts, because in scientific research, the most dangerous thing is misunderstanding," Tuan Anh recalled. It took him more than three years to do all the experiments he could to convince the professor that his direction was feasible. Then, he sent the results to the journal CELL. Tuan Anh's article was published after 6 months of anxious waiting and editing.
"It felt like I had scored a goal in the Champions League final," Tuan Anh said.
Tuan Anh's discovery was selected by the Korean Association for Science and Technology as one of the 10 inventions of 2015. Since then, all research related to microprocessors in biology from many different groups has used this model. The article helped Tuan Anh regain the motivation to continue pursuing research.
Just one year later, Tuan Anh and his colleagues' research on molecular structure was accepted by CELL. According to Tuan Anh, having two works published in the CELL journal is a very difficult result for a foreign graduate student in Korea.
In 2017, Tuan Anh chose HKUST to continue his research and teaching career. He believes that Hong Kong is similar to his home country in terms of people and climate, and is also open and highly international. In addition to teaching, Tuan Anh often plays soccer with colleagues and students on weekends.
Anh Tuan Anh (striped shirt) and students after presenting the group's research results at the Faculty of Life Sciences, HKUST, July 2023. Photo: Provided by the character
Tuan Anh believes that HKUST is good enough for students to study all fields of technology. The Hong Kong government invests in basic research, visas are easy to issue, and the market has many job opportunities. Moreover, international students who are trained in an advanced environment will be a source of human resources contributing to the development of biological science in the country.
Anh Tuan Anh gave an example of biomedicine, Vietnam can be more proactive in producing biological products and disease diagnosis without having to rely on expensive imports from abroad. In agriculture, biological research will allow the development of new plant varieties or vaccines against diseases.
Therefore, he often brings professors to Vietnam to participate in scientific conferences, as well as introduce scholarships. From three or four Vietnamese students studying at HKUST in 2017, this number has increased to more than 50. Most students receive full scholarships.
"The next generation must be larger and more talented to change the country's biology with previous generations," said Mr. Tuan Anh.
Every time he returns to Vietnam, Tuan Anh also gives lectures and talks to students. For young people who want to pursue science, he believes that it is necessary to determine that this is a long road, to approach new environments and be patient to catch up with the world.
Vnexpress.net
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