Nguyen Cong Thanh, a member of the Fulbright University Vietnam’s Class of 2025, is majoring in Applied Mathematics.
Having been a specialized mathematics student with an early inclination towards teaching, Thanh accumulated several years of teaching experience even during his high school years. However, after a year pursuing a degree in Mathematics Education, Thanh realized that he should not limit his growth within the confines of a classroom. His passion for Mathematics remained strong, but he desired to apply it to real-world scenarios, exploring transformative fields like Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence.
Thanh chose Fulbright University Vietnam as a place to explore various fields, from Economics and Computer Science to Psychology, before finding his true “anchor” in Applied Mathematics.
Thanh credits the supportive faculty within the Applied Mathematics community at Fulbright as his most significant opportunity. This close-knit community allowed him easy access to professors, receiving personalized guidance throughout his academic journey. Students could pursue Independent Studies with faculty members to deepen their knowledge. Thanh seized this opportunity to undertake a summer research project with Dr. Tran Vinh Linh on the Foundations of Random Matrix Theory – a crucial preparation step for his capstone project in his final year.
The faculty, all holding PhDs from leading global universities, became dedicated mentors, readily sharing their in-depth knowledge and suggesting new research directions during Thanh’s time at Fulbright. Thanks to their guidance, Thanh achieved several significant milestones. As early as his sophomore year, he won a Gold Medal in Analysis and a Bronze Medal in Algebra at the National Student Mathematics Olympiad – one of the most prestigious competitions for mathematics enthusiasts in Vietnam. In his junior year, he continued his outstanding performance by becoming the valedictorian in Mathematical Analysis at the same competition.
Furthermore, the faculty served as trusted academic advisors, assisting Thanh in navigating the university and program selection process, as well as supporting him in preparing his application and practicing for interviews.
Upon graduating this June, Thanh will pursue a PhD in Statistics at the University of Michigan, a top 7 ranked program in the US, with a full scholarship. When asked about his motivation for pursuing a PhD, Thanh shared, “I want to gain a deeper understanding of how Statistical Machine Learning models work, and more importantly, I want to contribute to creating breakthroughs in this field, rather than just using existing results.”
We wish Thanh continued success and many achievements in his promising research and academic journey ahead!
