Vietnamese-American PhD stands out in European science media

Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim (born August 7, 1987) is one of the most prominent and influential figures in the field of science communication in Europe. From a researcher in the laboratory, she has conquered millions of viewers through YouTube, television and was honored with the Federal Order of Merit – Germany’s highest civilian award – as a recognition for her outstanding role in spreading knowledge to the community.

Dr. Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim appeared on a popular TV show in Germany. (Photo source: Stern.de).

Journey from lab to media star

Born and raised in Germany in a family of intellectuals of Vietnamese origin, Mai Thi's love of science was nurtured from a very early age. Her father, a chemical engineer at BASF, was the greatest inspiration for her to enter the world of chemistry. Guided by her family, she pursued her academic path with excellence.

After graduating from high school, Mai Thi studied Chemistry at Johannes Gutenberg University and interned at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US. Since 2012, she has been a PhD student at RWTH Aachen – one of the leading technical schools in Europe, and continued her internship at Harvard University and the Fraunhofer Institute. In 2017, she successfully defended her doctoral thesis at the University of Potsdam.

However, it was during her time doing in-depth research that Mai Thi realized a new direction. Instead of just working in the laboratory, she wanted to stand in front of the public, using the media to make complex scientific knowledge closer and easier to understand for everyone.

Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim has used media to make complex scientific knowledge accessible and understandable to everyone.

Since 2013, when she was a PhD student at RWTH Aachen, Mai has demonstrated her communication skills by winning several “science slam” competitions – where young scientists compete by presenting scientific knowledge in a humorous and witty way. One of her first videos at RWTH in 2013 is still one of the university’s most viewed clips.

In 2015, she started the YouTube channel “The Secret Life of Scientists” and then “maiLab” (originally called “schönschlau”) sponsored by public broadcasters ARD and ZDF – now reaching over 1.4 million subscribers, changing the dry public image of scientists.

She is also a familiar face on TV science shows such as “Quarks” (WDR), “Terra X” (ARD/ZDF), and “MAITHINK X – die Show” on ZDFneo. ZDFneo Especially during the COVID 19 pandemic in 2020, Mai was one of the most reliable sources of scientific information in Germany. Her videos on “Herdenimmunität” (herd immunity) and related topics have attracted millions of views and appear on the ARD “Tagesthemen” page.

The 'Formula' That Turns Dry Science Into Million-View Content

Mai Thi's difference lies in her unique "recipe" that helps her "cook" scientific spiritual dishes that are both beneficial and attractive. The initial inspiration came from her father. In the famous book Komisch, alles chemisch (Strangely, everything is chemistry), she wrote: "My father is a chemist and he is a very good cook... When I was 13 and started learning makeup, my father explained everything to me: how pigments work, how hairspray works, the pH of skin creams... Chemistry has always been a part of my life".

Mai Thi's difference lies in her unique "recipe" that helps her "cook" scientific spiritual dishes that are both beneficial and attractive. Photo source: Eltern.de)

From that foundation, Mai Thi developed a unique style: incorporating vivid animation, using everyday metaphors, and promoting her own charm and humor. She began to conquer audiences through “science slam” competitions (where young scientists compete in eloquence) and then through her YouTube channel maiLab, which now has more than 1.4 million followers.

In particular, the COVID-19 pandemic has become a turning point that has brought Mai Thi's name to a new level. Her videos analyzing "community immunity" and anti-epidemic measures on major TV channels such as ARD have attracted millions of views.

Not only stopping at YouTube, she is also a familiar face on prestigious science programs such as “Quarks”, “Terra X”, and her own show “MAITHINK X – die Show”. Her great contributions are recognized with a series of prestigious awards, culminating in the Federal Order of Merit awarded by the President of Germany in 2020.

Mai Thi's contributions to connecting science with society have been awarded many prestigious awards. In 2019, she received the Hanns-Joachim-Friedrichs Journalism Prize - one of the prestigious awards in Germany...

In 2020, she was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit (Bundesverdienstkreuz) by the President of Germany - Germany's only federal medal in recognition of outstanding contributions to popularizing scientific knowledge to the public in a vivid, understandable and inspiring way.

In the program “20 Faces - 20 Stories” in early May to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Germany, the Goethe Institute introduced Mai Thi: With a lively, humorous and easy-to-understand style, Dr. Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim conveys complex scientific concepts through many TV shows and on her YouTube channel maiLab. With over a million followers, she is one of the most famous YouTubers in Germany. The foundation for her impressive scientific career was built from studying chemistry at Mainz, MIT, Harvard, Aachen and Potsdam.

Professor Ulrich Rüdiger, Rector of RWTH Aachen University, commented: “Over the years, Dr. Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim has taken science communication to a new level. She connects science with the public and policy makers in a way that is understandable and convincing.”

In Vietnam, in recent years, Dr. Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim has become widely known through two books translated from German: Too funny, everything turns into something (2021) and Don't be like a winded frog - Science in the age of fake news (2024).

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/tien-si-goc-viet-noi-bat-gioi-truyen-thong-khoa-hoc-chau-au-post1549243.html