A Vietnamese man born in the 1980s becomes a lecturer at the world's number one digital technology academy.

Having won three grants from the National Research Foundation and the US Department of Energy for collaborative research projects on renewable energy, Vu Thanh Long was exceptionally appointed as a lecturer and researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 1.5 years earlier than scheduled.

Dr. Vu Thanh Long is currently a lecturer and scientific researcher in the field of new energy at MIT – a leading global science and technology institute.

Pioneering research on solar energy

At over 30 years old, Dr. Vu Thanh Long has achieved success in his scientific research career in the United States. This young man from Nam Sach, Hai Duong province, is currently teaching and researching at the leading technology institute in the US – the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Dr. Thanh Long's research focuses on the field of renewable energy. Before coming to the US, he spent time pursuing his doctorate in Singapore.

After graduating with a degree in Automatic Control from Hanoi University of Science and Technology, the young man from Hai Duong wrote a letter requesting to conduct research with Professor Shuzhi Sam Ge, a world-leading professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

Thanks to his three first-place wins in the national student mathematics competition, Thanh Long was fortunate enough to attract the attention and support of a professor, earning him the NGS scholarship from NUS, which was the best doctoral research scholarship in Singapore at the time.

After earning his PhD, Jackie Chan set a goal to study in the United States and dreamed of attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a center of science and technology in the US and the world, to learn and work.

His dream turned into action, and he wrote to Professor Konstantin Turitsyn at MIT to get acquainted with him and was accepted as a postdoctoral researcher. This was the most productive period of the Vietnamese man's research, with many projects he was proud of. Dr. Long has won research grants from the National Research Foundation and the US Department of Energy three times for collaborative projects on renewable energy.

Thanks to those results, after 1.5 years, Long was promoted by MIT (about 1.5 years earlier than other postdoctoral researchers at MIT) to become a researcher and lecturer at MIT, specializing in new energy.

Dr. Long is also the current President of the Control Systems Society (IEEE) in the Boston area, USA.

Dr. Long is also the current President of the Control Systems Society (IEEE) in the Boston area, USA.

"Currently, renewable energy sources (wind, solar, etc.) are increasingly being integrated into the power system to reduce environmental pollution caused by traditional power sources (coal, nuclear, etc.)."

However, renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power fluctuate constantly and are unstable, making it difficult to meet consumer demand and potentially causing power shortages or widespread power outages.

"Therefore, I studied the stability of large power systems when renewable energy sources are integrated. For example, I answered the question: What percentage of renewable energy can be integrated into each system? What should be done if there is a risk of system instability?", Dr. Thanh Long shared.

Research at MIT is often groundbreaking and highly influential. A Vietnamese man is proposing a new research approach to maintaining the stability of power systems by altering their structure. Currently, this project has been accepted as a concept paper by the U.S. Department of Energy (IDEAS program) due to its innovative idea.

Proud of Vietnamese students at MIT

Speaking about the young Vietnamese students at MIT, Dr. Thanh Long expressed his pride and joy that they are not only academically excellent but also dynamic and demonstrate good leadership skills in an international environment.

"In the classes I taught at MIT, I met Vietnamese students. They were all outstanding young people who stood out in the Vietnamese student/international student community. Some had won multiple gold/silver medals at international Olympiads."

"They are very talented and often top the class in tests, and they also demonstrate good integration and leadership skills. I've learned a lot from them, and I truly hope that these young people will be the future of Vietnam," Long shared.

Dr. Vu Thanh Long and Dr. Hoang Duc Chinh are among the organizers of the international conference on new energy in Hanoi, Vietnam, on November 14th.

Hold an international conference on new energy in your home country.

Having achieved success in the United States, the young PhD dreams of using his expertise to contribute to the renewable energy sector in his homeland. He recognizes that Vietnam has the advantage of being a tropical country, blessed with abundant sunshine, a coastline stretching over 3,000km with significant wave energy resources, and plentiful wind in many regions. These are favorable conditions for developing renewable energy.

"However, it is necessary to study what percentage of renewable energy development is reasonable, both economically in comparison to immediate investment and in terms of long-term impact on the stability of the power system," said Dr. Thanh Long.

That was also one of the reasons he directly participated in organizing the International Conference on New Energy in Vietnam - IEEE ICSET 2016 (http://icset-ieee.org/2016/) as the program chairman.

Dr. Long happily shared that he was fortunate enough to invite, "free of charge," leading world-class professors in energy, such as: Professor PR Kumar (University Distinguished Professor at Texas A&M University, Fellow of the National Academy of Engineering of the United States and Senior Fellow of the World Academy of Sciences); Professor Hsiao-Dong Chiang (Cornell University, Senior Fellow of the World Engineering Association); Professor Longya Xu (Ohio University, Senior Fellow of the World Engineering Association)... These leading professors will deliver in-depth lectures, present their research, and offer new visions and directions for the renewable energy sector in Vietnam.

The young scientists truly hope that the conference will bring about interesting initiatives, while also contributing to promoting the image of Vietnam internationally, and serving as a bridge to promote and facilitate long-term cooperation between Vietnamese universities and research institutes and renowned scientists around the world.

In a message to young people about realizing their passions, the scientist born in the 1980s shared: "I believe that if you dream big and work hard for that dream, nothing can stop you from achieving it."

"I see myself as swimming against the current, constantly setting bigger and bigger goals and dreams for myself, while simultaneously overcoming my limitations to achieve those goals and dreams. And then I dream again..."

According to Dan Tri