Vietnamese-American female professor elected to the US National Academy of Engineering

The US National Academy of Engineering has just announced the admission of 124 new members (including 106 American scientists and 18 international scientists), bringing the total number of current members of this agency to 2,420 Americans and 319 foreigners. The election results are based on the outstanding contributions as well as the outstanding continuous achievements of the new academicians in research and teaching in the field of engineering. In particular, the Academy highly appreciates the pioneering role of the new academicians in developing new fields of technology, creating breakthrough developments in traditional engineering fields or bringing breakthrough approaches to teaching engineering.

Among them is Professor Nguyen Thuc Quyen, a Vietnamese who teaches at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), USA. She also serves as Co-Chair of the VinFuture Prize Preliminary Jury.

Professor Nguyen Thuc Quyen has been recognized by current academicians for her leadership in engineeringeducation and efforts to promote diversity in the field. Professor Thuc Quyen also has special research works on organic photovoltaics for energy-saving buildings and greenhouses.

Sharing on the occasion of this event, Professor Thuc Quyen said: “Being elected as a member of the US National Academy of Engineering is both a great honor and a sense of responsibility to contribute more. My responsibility will not only stop at my daily work such as research or teaching but also my responsibility to society. In the future, I hope to support more female scientists.”

Along with Professor Nguyen Thuc Quyen, Dr. Xuedong Huang, Chief Technology Officer of Azure AI, Microsoft Corporation was elected to the US National Academy of Engineering. Dr. Xuedong Huang is also a member of the VinFuture Prize Council. Thus, on this occasion, 2 members of the VinFuture Prize Council were elected to the US National Academy of Engineering.

Dr. Xuedong Huang was elected a new academician of the US National Academy of Engineering for his outstanding contributions to the development of speech and language products and technologies, including the development of cloud-based intelligent systems.

“Being part of this prestigious engineering community is both a recognition of my contributions and a motivation for me to strive further in the future,” said Dr. Xuedong. “I am passionate about pushing the boundaries of engineering and innovation to address greater societal challenges. I look forward to collaborating with other academicians, as well as the larger community, to promote excellence, leadership and service in engineering.”

Dr. Xuedong added that the VinFuture Prize Council and the US National Academy of Engineering share similar views on applying science and technology to improve the quality of human life. He looks forward to joining hands with world- class experts to further promote the impact of science and technology on society.

Becoming a member of the US National Academy of Engineering is not only a recognition of the outstanding expertise and leadership capacity of scientists. It is also an opportunity to exchange experiences, connect and lead key collaborative research projects as well as demonstrate responsibility to the community. In particular, academicians will be able to support the younger generation of scientists to access technology and aim for practical applications in life.

The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) was established in 1964 with the mission of promoting the prosperity of the nation by promoting engineering groups and providing expert advice to the government on engineering and technology issues. The National Academy of Engineering (NAE), along with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), is part of the National Academies.

VinFuture Foundation: VinFuture Foundation was launched on December 20, 2020, on the occasion of International Human Solidarity Day - a non-profit fund co-founded by billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong and his wife, Ms. Pham Thu Huong. The award system includes the VinFuture Grand Prize worth 3 million USD, one of the largest annual awards ever in the world; Three Special Prizes, each worth 500 thousand USD, for female scientists, scientists from developing countries and scientists researching new fields. In addition, the Foundation also conducts many activities to realize its mission, such as research funding, academic development cooperation, and promoting STEM education.

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