Vietnamese professors elected fellows of The World Academy of Sciences

Nguyễn Thế Hoàng, Deputy Director of the 108 Military Central Hospital, has been elected a Fellow of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). Photo tuoitre.vn

HÀ NỘI — Two Vietnamese professors have been elected as fellows of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) among a cohort of 74 new members. They are Major General, Professor, Doctor of Science and People's Physician Nguyễn Thế Hoàng, and Professor, Doctor and Distinguished Teacher Nguyễn Thị Thanh Mai, Vice President of Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City's University of Science.

Nguyễn Thế Hoàng is also the Deputy Director of the 108 Military Central Hospital in Hà Nội.

In a letter to Professor Nguyễn Thế Hoàng, TWAS President Professor Dr Quarraisha Abdool Karim said the decision officially takes effect on January 1, 2025, adding that the election is a testament to Hoàng's remarkable contributions to the advancement of science in developing nations.

"We are privileged to welcome you as a Fellow," she wrote.

The induction ceremony for new TWAS fellows will take place at the next General Meeting of the TWAS Assembly, scheduled for 2025.

This year, TWAS elected 74 new fellows, marking the largest intake in its history. Brazil and China led the count with 10 new fellows each, followed by India (9), Malaysia (7), South Africa (4) and three each from Bangladesh, Morocco and Pakistan. Việt Nam, Cuba, Egypt and the US had two new fellows each.

The decision raises the total number of TWAS fellows to 1,444.

Born in 1965 in Kỳ Anh District, Hà Tĩnh Province, Major General Hoàng became an Associate Professor in Việt Nam in 2006, earned a Doctor of Science degree in 2008, and was appointed an Associate Professor at the University of Munich in 2009. In 2018, he was awarded the title of Professor.

Professor Hoàng has authored over 100 research papers published in domestic and international journals. He has led or contributed to numerous national and ministerial-level scientific projects. His research focuses on neoangiogenesis and cell culture, free tissue flap transfer using microsurgery, treating complex congenital limb deformities, and organ transplantation.

He has received many prestigious awards, including the Vifotec Award, Nepomuc von Nussbaum Prize, Karl-Max von Bauerfeind Prize, and the APKO Award. In 2012, he was honoured with the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany for his groundbreaking research. He has also been decorated with First- and Third-Class Labour Orders.

Professor Nguyễn Thị Thanh Mai. Photo VNUHCM

Professor Nguyễn Thị Thanh Mai, born in 1974 in Quảng Ngãi Province, graduated in chemistry from the University of General Sciences, now known as the University of Science.

She later earned a doctorate in pharmaceutical chemistry from Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University in Japan.

Appointed Associate Professor in 2014, she was subsequently promoted to Professor in 2021. In 2023, she was recognised with the title of Distinguished Teacher.

In the first decade after earning her doctorate, she concentrated on discovering new drugs from Vietnamese medicinal plants. More recently, she has advanced applied research, developing two products derived from domestic medicinal plants to aid in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancer and arthritis. To date, Professor Nguyễn Thị Thanh Mai has published over 80 papers in esteemed international scientific journals.

Her innovative research on products derived from honeybees raised in Việt Nam earned her the Hồ Chí Minh City Innovation Award in 2019. In 2021, she was awarded the Kovalevskaia Award, which honours female scientists for exceptional contributions to research and practical applications, significantly benefitting society.

Professor Mai’s pioneering study on the 'Xanthine Oxidase Inhibitory Activity of Vietnamese Medicinal Plants' examined 288 extracts from 96 plants for gout treatment. Her work broke new ground by integrating traditional Vietnamese medicine with modern scientific approaches, identifying numerous novel compounds and materials for the development of highly effective treatments for gout, diabetes, Alzheimer's, arthritis, gastric ulcers and cancer.

She has led 14 research projects, published 90 international papers, and contributed to 80 national publications.

TWAS is an international non-governmental organisation under UNESCO. It comprises over 1,400 distinguished scientists from more than 100 countries and represents about 130 academies of sciences worldwide, including the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology.

Established in 1983, TWAS was initially known as the Third World Academy of Sciences before adopting its current name in 2004. It is now a scientific affiliate of the International Science Council (ISC) and was officially recognised by UN Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar in 1985. — VNS