Hanoi (VNA) - The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) has announced the election of 74 new members - the highest number ever inducted, including two Vietnamese scientists.
Among them are two prominent Vietnamese scientists: Maj. Gen Prof. Nguyen The Hoang - Deputy Director of Central Military Hospital 108, and Prof. Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai - Vice President of the University of Science at the Vietnam National University (VNU) - Ho Chi Minh City.
These esteemed scientists will be formally introduced at the TWAS’s next General Assembly, scheduled for 2025. The decision will take effect on January 1, 2025, bringing its total membership to 1,444.
Brazil and China lead the list of newly-elected fellows with 10 members each, followed by India with 9, Malaysia with 7, and South Africa with 4. Bangladesh, Morocco, and Pakistan each contributed 3 new fellows. Notably, Vietnam joins the ranks of countries like Cuba, Egypt, and the US, each adding two new members. Among the 74 new fellows, 50 are men and 24 are women.
Born in 1965, Prof. Hoang, a People's Physician, was conferred the title of Associate Professor in Vietnam in 2006, followed by a Doctor of Science degree in 2008. In 2009, he earned the title of Associate Professor at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. In 2018, he was appointed a Professor.
With over 100 research papers published in international and domestic journals, Prof. Hoang has led and joined numerous State-level and ministry-level scientific projects. His research focuses on circulatory regeneration, cell culture, free tissue flap transplantation using microsurgery, treatment of complex congenital limb deformities, and organ transplantation.
Hoang's groundbreaking work has earned him numerous prestigious awards, including Vifotec, Nepomuc von Nussbaum, Karl-Max von Bauerfeind, and APKO. In 2012, he was honoured with the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany. Additionally, he has been awarded the first and third-class Labour Order for his outstanding achievements.
Prof. Mai, 50, graduated with a degree in chemistry from the University of General Sciences, now known as the University of Natural Sciences. She later earned her doctorate degree in pharmaceutical chemistry from Japan’s Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University.
Appointed as an Associate Professor in 2014 and a Professor in 2021, Mai was honored as a Meritorious Teacher in 2023. Her groundbreaking research on the xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity of Vietnamese medicinal plants has made significant strides in combining traditional Vietnamese medicine with modern scientific approaches.
Her study involved analysing 288 extracts from 96 plants to develop treatments for gout, a pioneering effort that has led to the discovery of new compounds with high therapeutic efficacy. These serve as raw materials for developing treatments for gout, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, gastric ulcers, and cancer.
As the leader of 14 major research projects and the author of 90 international and 80 national publications, Mai’s efforts have led to the commercialisation of numerous health supplements, earning her the Ho Chi Minh City Innovation Award 2019 and the Kovalevskaia Award 2021, among other accolades.
Founded in 1983, TWAS is an international non-governmental organisation under the auspices of UNESCO, uniting over 1,400 distinguished scientists from more than 100 countries and representing around 130 science academies worldwide, including the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology.
It is now an affiliated scientific member of the International Science Council (ISC), continuing its role from the former International Council for Science (ICSU). TWAS received official recognition from then-UN Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar in 1985./.
