The information was announced by the Council of Presidents of Statistical Societies (COPSS) on its official website on February 6th. Professor Ho Pham Minh Nhat is the first Vietnamese person to receive this award since its establishment.
The awards committee honored him for his pioneering contributions to building the statistical foundation for modern artificial intelligence, particularly his foundational research on mix-of-experts models, advances in the field of optimal transport, and the theory of efficient parameter tuning for foundation models. Beyond his research, he is also highly regarded for his dedication to teaching, academic mentoring, professional activities, and engagement with the academic community.
Professor Ho Pham Minh Nhat in the program "Taking Flight - The Moment to Begin," broadcast on VTV1 in March 2025. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.
Sharing on his personal page, Professor Ho Pham Minh Nhat said he felt honored to be named for the award. According to him, this is not only a personal milestone but also a significant recognition of his research efforts in the field of modern data science and statistics. Being the first Vietnamese to receive the award also contributes to marking Vietnamese intellectual prowess on the world scientific map.
He also expressed his gratitude to his family, colleagues, and students at the University of Texas at Austin and around the world who have supported him on his research journey. The award, he said, further strengthens his commitment to pursuing the integration of statistical foundations and cutting-edge AI breakthroughs to create practical value for society.
Professor Ho Pham Minh Nhat, originally from Bac Lieu province , is a former student of the High School for the Gifted (Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City). He graduated from the University of Science, Ho Chi Minh City, before pursuing a PhD in Statistics at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor in 2017. He then worked at the University of California, Berkeley, before becoming a lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin in 2020, focusing his research and teaching on data science, machine learning, statistics, and artificial intelligence.
With over 110 scientific papers published at prestigious conferences such as ICML, NeurIPS, and CVPR, along with an h-index of 35 and over 4,000 citations, Professor Ho Pham Minh Nhat is currently one of the most prominent figures among the younger generation of scientists globally. Besides his expertise, he also dedicates himself to teaching, academic mentoring, and actively supporting Vietnamese students in their studies and international research. Professor Ho Pham Minh Nhat's success is not only a source of personal pride but also a clear testament to the advancement and affirmation of Vietnamese intellectual identity in the new technological era.
The COPSS Emerging Leader Award is an annual award that honors early-career statisticians with outstanding achievements and leadership potential in shaping the future of the field. Each year, up to eight scientists worldwide are selected through a rigorous selection process.
COPSS (Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies) is a coordinating committee among leading statistical societies, including the American Statistical Association (ASA), the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS), the Statistical Society of Canada (SSC), and the two North American regions of the International Society for Biostatistics (ENAR and WNAR). This organization promotes inter-society academic collaboration and awards prestigious prizes in the fields of statistics and data science.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/giao-su-37-tuoi-nguoi-viet-doat-giai-thuong-quoc-te-danh-gia-ve-thong-ke-va-ai-2488673.html
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