Mai, a native of Quang Ngai, earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in chemistry from the University of General Sciences (now University of Natural Sciences) in 1996 and 2001, respectively.

In 2005, she obtained her doctoral degree in pharmaceutical chemistry from Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Japan. She was recognized as a professor in 2020.

Mai has been with Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM) since 2007. She served as head of department and deputy dean of the Faculty of Chemistry before becoming vice rector of the University of Natural Sciences in 2021. In 2023, she was concurrently appointed rector of the High School for the Gifted.

A leading scientist in pharmaceutical chemistry, she has published over 80 articles in international scientific journals. Her research team also successfully developed two products from domestic medicinal herbs to support the treatment of gastrointestinal cancer and arthritis.

For her contributions to education and science, she received several notable awards, including the HCMC Innovation Award in 2019, the Golden Globe in 2017, the Kovalevskaia Award in 2021, and the Outstanding Female Intellectual HCMC for the 2019-2024 period. She is also an academician of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS).

Professor Doctor Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai. Photo: VNUHCM

Established in 1995, VNU-HCM is the country's largest university, educating over 90,000 students. It comprises 10 member units: University of Technology, University of Natural Sciences, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Information Technology, International University, University of Economics and Law, An Giang University, University of Health Sciences, Institute for Environment and Resources, and a branch in Ben Tre province.

According to The Times Higher Education (THE) 2026 university rankings, VNU-HCM is ranked in the 801-850 band.

Le Nguyen