The 'laboratory heartthrob' photo has been famous for a decade.

Recently, an old photo of a young man in formal attire, sitting neatly at a desk in a research lab, has been circulating on social media. This famous photo, which was shared within the research community about 10 years ago, has unexpectedly resurfaced online.

The image quickly attracted attention and became a topic of discussion on social media. In the comments section, many social media users shared that this image has been posted and shared for years, becoming familiar whenever the topic of "research" is mentioned.

In addition, some people praised the person in the photo not only for his handsome appearance but also for exuding intelligence and scholarly charm, like the "academic male protagonist" in a novel. Even more noteworthy, the person being praised as the male protagonist in the online image is also a real-life "intellectual male protagonist."

The photo was widely shared on social media.

The person in the photo is Tran Thanh (born in 1992), from Zhejiang, China. He boasts an impressive height of 1.83 meters. He is known not only for his handsome appearance, like a "romantic drama male lead," but also for his remarkable academic achievements.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Tran Thanh studied Science at the University of Science and Technology of China and graduated in 2014. Four years later, he completed his PhD in Physics at the University of Oxford (UK). Oxford is one of the oldest and most prestigious educational institutions in the UK, renowned for its scientific research.

From 2018 to 2022, he further enhanced his expertise by participating in a postdoctoral research program at Shanghai University of Technology. During this time, he had numerous opportunities for international academic collaboration, including being invited to be a visiting professor at Yale University, a prestigious Ivy League institution in the United States.

In addition, he also works at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a scientific research facility managed and operated by the University of California, with its Berkeley campus, and home to many large research groups and global-scale scientific projects.

He is currently an assistant professor and a doctoral candidate at the School of Materials Science and Technology, Shanghai University of Science and Technology. His area of expertise focuses on research into low-dimensional quantum systems and tunable devices.

During his studies and research, Tran Thanh published over 50 scientific papers, with a total of over 4,300 citations on Google Scholar. In 2021, he was nominated for the Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award of the China Association of Measurement Equipment. That same year, he received the title of "Super Doctor of Shanghai," and was supported by the China Doctoral Science Foundation and a special grant program from the postdoctoral research station.

In 2024, he was honored with the Telford Premium Award by the British Institute of Civil Engineers. This prestigious award recognizes individuals with outstanding research and contributions to the field of science and engineering.

One of Tran Thanh's photos was found by the online community.

Years have passed, but this image is still widely shared. Tran Thanh is affectionately known by many netizens as "the lab heartthrob" thanks to his combination of striking, intellectual looks and impressive academic achievements.

Giang Pham