Trang will receive full tuition and living expenses during her studies and research in the Department of Statistics and Data Science, totaling approximately 400,000 USD. According to US News university rankings, the University of Texas at Austin is among the top 30 best universities in the US.

Trang previously graduated from the Hanoi University of Science and Technology with a degree in Data Science and AI, achieving a GPA of 3.81/4. She also received the "Excellent Graduation Project" award from the university's School of Information and Communication Technology.

Pham Vu Huyen Trang. Photo courtesy of the subject

Pham Vu Huyen Trang. Photo courtesy of the subject

Originally from Nam Dinh, Trang graduated from high school in 2020. She chose to pursue AI because she was impressed by its potential applications in image analysis, which could assist doctors with rapid diagnoses and reduce the burden on the healthcare system.

"I want to pursue a path where my research creates practical value for the community," Trang said, explaining that she applied to the English-language program because she already had an IELTS score of 7.0.

During her first year at Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Trang focused on general education courses. A turning point came at the end of the second semester when she joined the Data Science Laboratory, part of the university's International Center for Artificial Intelligence (BKAI). There, she learned how to understand and analyze scientific papers, machine learning, and the mathematical foundations of AI. This sparked her passion for research.

By the end of her third year, Trang became a resident student in the AI Residency program at VinAI Research (now Qualcomm AI Research). She believes the advanced academic environment and the opportunity to work with international experts provided her with a solid foundation for pursuing higher education.

To date, Trang and her team have published six research papers at three leading international conferences in the field of AI and machine learning: NeurIPS, ICML, and ICLR. This research focuses on two main areas. The first revolves around the Mixture of Experts (MoE) model – a core component in large language models (LLMs) like the AI tool DeepSeek. Trang's team focuses on explaining why MoE models perform well or encounter limitations, while also proposing new methods to increase their effectiveness.

"Our team had to explore and verify a lot independently. But the experimental results show that this direction is very promising, both academically and in terms of practical application," Trang said.

Her second research area involves Optimal Transport (OT) – a tool for measuring the difference between two data distributions, with applications in bioimaging and natural language processing. However, calculating OT distances can be slow, especially when the two distributions have a large number of data points.

To address this, Trang's team proposes replacing the exact OT distance with the Tree-Sliced Wasserstein distance (a method of calculating the distance between two data distributions by projecting the data onto a system of lines). This method has potential applications in healthcare, such as analyzing diagnostic images, and in finance, where data constantly fluctuates.

With a desire to further her research, Trang sought opportunities to study abroad. She prioritized the US because it is a global center for science and technology, offering a dynamic research environment and bringing together many leading experts in AI.

At the end of last year, Trang applied to the University of Texas at Austin, submitting her CV, motivation letter, letters of recommendation, transcripts, and scientific publications. She was then invited for interviews with professors and subsequently accepted into the program.

Ho Pham Minh Nhat, Trang's mentor at VinAI, considers her one of the most promising young researchers, always eager to explore, learn, and improve.

"Trang's carefulness and meticulousness in brainstorming, writing, and critical thinking have contributed to the positive reception of her international publications," he said.

Trang understands that the research path isn't always smooth. She has often felt overwhelmed being surrounded by talented colleagues. But thanks to the support of her teachers and friends in both work and life, she has gradually overcome these challenges.

"My greatest fortune is always finding supportive communities at the right time, which helps me feel more confident and clearly define my future path," Trang said.

The young woman from Nam Dinh also recognizes that the destination of her journey isn't just international publications or a doctoral degree. What she desires most is to accompany younger generations on the path of AI research.

"I want to become a teacher – someone who not only imparts knowledge but also inspires young people," Trang shared.

Trang plans to expand her research, applying AI to practical fields like healthcare, and eventually return to work in Vietnam.

Phuong Anh