The girl pursued scientific research with the hope of helping patients.

After graduating with honors and earning her PhD at the age of 28, this young woman went on to work at a leading research institute in the United States. The female PhD hopes to use her research to find the causes and treatments for certain neurological diseases.

Educational journey in the United Kingdom

Le Viet Hang (30 years old) is a story from her life. Hang was born and raised in Da Nang City . After completing high school, she decided to study in England. "In 2012, I went to England and studied biomedical science at the University of Nottingham. The reason I decided to study abroad was because I wanted to go overseas, change my environment to broaden my thinking and improve my knowledge," Hang shared.

Viet Hang has a passion for scientific research.

NVCC

At that time, Hang received a partial scholarship for a preparatory university program in Nottingham. The girl from Da Nang said that receiving a scholarship was not the most important factor in deciding to study abroad. "Studying in an environment with a good training program in a field I like is my top priority," Hang said.

Having studied chemistry at Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted (Da Nang), Hang is very interested in natural sciences. "When studying chemistry, I realized the applications of chemicals and medicines in life. I feel fascinated by research, wanting to discover new things, find the reasons for diseases and methods of treatment," Hang shared.

That's why she pursued biomedical science. When she first went to England to study, Hang faced many difficulties with the culture, lifestyle, weather, and the changing learning methods. The young woman recounted: "Before leaving, I was very excited, but when I arrived, I realized many things had changed. I had to adapt to a new environment and lifestyle, become independent, and manage everything myself… so I felt lost. Not to mention, the change in environment and learning methods caused me some obstacles in the beginning."

Viet Hang received her PhD at the age of 28.

Despite the difficulties, throughout her four years of university, Hang consistently maintained excellent academic performance and ranked first in her class. As a result, she graduated with honors and was the valedictorian of her biomedical science program. "I tried my best to achieve good results to maintain my scholarship. That money helped me a lot in covering my living expenses. But I never expected that my efforts would also help me become the valedictorian," Hang said.

But that wasn't all; after graduating from university, the girl from Da Nang also received a full Elphinstone PhD scholarship from the University of Aberdeen. This scholarship is only awarded to 1% of applicants. Therefore, Hang continued her education. She pursued a PhD in neurodevelopmental science at the University of Aberdeen and completed the program at the age of 28.

Pursuing a research career

After nearly 10 years in England, Hang decided to move to the United States to continue her research. "I didn't stay in England but went to the US to do postdoctoral research to change my environment. Because my field is biomedical science, my professors often advised me to try to change my environment to understand research thinking in different places. From there, I would learn more," Hang shared.

Currently, she works at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, one of the leading research institutes in the United States specializing in genetics and neuroscience, and the same place where the structure of DNA was discovered. The young woman says her research focuses on the mechanisms of epilepsy and seizures in patients with rare genes, and the influence of the nervous system on metastatic cancer cells. "Once I understand these key points, I can find ways to prevent the disease from developing and develop effective treatments," Hang explained.

Hang is also very active in supporting and encouraging women in scientific research. "Through this, I hope to raise awareness about issues surrounding women in research. At the same time, I hope to encourage more girls to participate in scientific research," Hang said.

When asked about the pressures, Hang shared: "Of course, pressure is unavoidable, but this is the path I've chosen and I'm doing what I love, so even if there are difficulties, I happily overcome them. What always worries me most is returning to my country. I always want to go back to Vietnam because this is where I want to contribute. However, at the moment, I'm still quite young in the research field, so I'm not confident enough to return. My biggest wish now is to find a research direction that can develop gene therapy to help cure diseases."

Viet Hang (far left) actively participates in activities supporting and encouraging women in scientific research.

Professor Neil Vargesson, Head of Developmental Biology at the University of Aberdeen, UK, shared: "I've known Hang since she was doing her PhD. Hang is an independent and critical thinker. She always has a clear direction for her work, plans her experiments meticulously, and executes them to a high standard. Hang has also excelled, supervising numerous undergraduate and postgraduate student projects in the lab . In fact, Hang was a key member of the team, and I have great confidence in her."

Thanhnien.vn