The VinAI Residency Program has been a surefire ticket to success for countless young Vietnamese talents, empowering talented individuals to achieve their PhD dreams and make significant contributions to the field of AI.

As we eagerly await Batch 12, prepare to be inspired by the insightful experiences of our outstanding alumni currently thriving in prestigious PhD programs around the world!

Dao Hoang Mai – PhD Student at The University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom)

This vibrant city is full of hidden gems, you just gotta know where to look. And yes, it does rain a lot, but hey, it keeps things clean.  

I’m the only Vietnamese student in my PhD program, but I love the international atmosphere. Learning from international peers about their research, cultures, and even their favorite foods is amazing!  

What I love most: Edinburgh’s beauty (seriously, it’s stunning) and the friendly “mind-your-own-business” vibe. What I could do without: the crazy unpredictable weather. ️  

My research: Natural Language Processing (NLP), specifically speech processing. Completing the VinAI Residency was life-changing. I started out unsure of my path, but under Dr. Dat Nguyen’s mentorship, I discovered NLP and dove headfirst. I have never learned something new that fast in my life. Huge thanks to Dr. Nguyen and VinAI for giving me the experience and confidence to land a PhD scholarship and pursue my academic goals.  

My advice to future applicants? Don’t wait. Apply now, even if you feel unsure. The experience itself is valuable, and even if you don’t get in the first time, you’ll learn a ton and be even better prepared for next time. Remember – You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take! 

Nguyen Ba Khai – PhD Student at The University of Texas at Austin (United States)

Pursuing my PhD at UT Austin, but currently interning in Seattle – the weather swap is real! This city reminds me of Da Lat – cool and refreshing most of the year.  

Speaking of awesome communities, the VinAI Residency alumni network in the US is thriving! We have regular meetups (every 3 months!) to share knowledge and party. Right now, research and jobs keep everyone busy, but we’re dedicated to paying it forward and guiding future generations.  

My research focuses on Optimal Transport, a cool subfield of machine learning and computer science. My top advice for current and future residents? Learn to ask the right questions! “A problem well-stated is a problem half-solved,” as they say. Research is about critical thinking and creativity, not just memorizing facts.  

The VinAI Residency Program? Life-changing! Without it, I wouldn’t be here. It’s like a pre-PhD program that gives you a head start on doctoral applications worldwide. 

Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao – PhD Student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (United States)

I’m living proof that amazing opportunities await! 

Four years ago, I was just a final-year student and didn’t really know what to do with my future. 

I applied and was fortunate enough to be one of the first 10 residents of VinAI Residency Program — Which gave me an incredible opportunity to work with great mentors (big shout-out to Dr. Tuan-Anh Tran and Dr. Hoai Nguyen!) and an amazing, hard-working colleague. These people have sparked my love for research and motivated me to pursue higher education! Thank you! 

Fast forward to today! 

I’m a CS PhD student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and I’m having a summer internship at Adobe Inc (my dream company!). I’m mostly interested in Image Editing/ Understanding; but recently, I’m focusing on how to personalize multimodal models (e.g., ChatGPT). While these models excel at common knowledge (e.g., a dog, a cat), they cannot recognize and reason with personal or specific concepts (e.g., my pets: Bơ the Shiba and Mam the Cat!). Then, is it possible to personalize these models for individual users? — I’m striving to solve that question! 

From my own biased experience, being a Vietnamese woman in STEM isn’t easy; thus, I’m so grateful to have supportive environments like VinAI to grow. That’s why I created Vietnamese Women in Computer Science (https://viet-wics.github.io/) – a collection of inspiring Vietnamese women who are rocking the tech world! (Many of them are VinAI alumni!) 

Let’s keep growing this circle! Share your story, support each other, and inspire the next generation. We got this!” 

Tran The Phong – PhD student at Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) 

MBZUAI is a trailblazing AI university in Abu Dhabi, UAE. My university is more than just cutting-edge research (though that’s pretty amazing too!). The people here are incredibly welcoming, and the weather’s perfect almost year round (except for those crazy summer highs!) ☀️ 

Abu Dhabi is a tech wonderland where you can even see artificial rain! ️ That’s right, the future is here! My research focuses on ” Neural Avatar” – essentially digitizing human figures, which combines computer graphics and computer vision.  

This incredible journey wouldn’t be possible without the VinAI Residency Program. There, I met my awesome mentor, Dr. Tuan-Anh Tran, who introduced me to my current PhD supervisor, Dr. Hao Li at MBZUAI. Huge thanks to the program for the amazing connections and friendships – some of my fellow residents are already joining me in the UAE for their academic pursuits! 

Nguyen Tran Cong Duy – PhD student at Nanyang Technological University (Singapore)

Singapore feels like a second home – similar vibes to Ho Chi Minh City, but with amazing public transport (seriously, a lifesaver!).  

Shoutout to the VinAI Residency Program! It ignited my passion for research and tackling real-world problems. I am working on multimodal NLP research (That’s where computers understand different kinds of information, like text and images together.)  The Residency even helped me find my awesome PhD supervisor, Dr. Tuan Luu (who was also my mentor at VinAI!). Talk about a small world!  

Applications for AI Residency Program Batch 12

These remarkable stories stand as a testament to the transformative power of the VinAI Residency Program. If you have a passion for AI and a strong desire to contribute to the development of the field, apply for Batch 12 now! Your story could be the next one to inspire others!

→ JOIN US NOW: APPLICATION FORM 

For more information, please contact us via email at ai-residency@vinai.io  

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