“Hanoi University of Science and Technology – the Lucky Starting Point for Me!”

When the Destination Is the Beginning

Teacher Lê Minh Thuỳ was once a student in the Measurement Engineering and Industrial Informatics program at HUST (now one of the three majors under the Control and Automation Engineering Program, Department of Automation, School of Electrical - Electronics).

For the first time away from her family, student Minh Thuỳ lived in a dormitory room at House B13 with nine friends from different provinces. “I still vividly remember those vibrant student days; our room 107 was always filled with laughter and lively conversation.”

Back then, the Military Technical Academy sent its students to study at HUST. By chance, she noticed a group of ten close friends—“the inseparable ten”—and a few military officers in room 302 expressed their interest in getting to know them. The two groups formed a bond, meeting every two weeks and on birthdays.

After the course ended, some of the “buddies” returned to the Military Academy, while some officers were sent off to study in Russia (formerly the Soviet Union) – yet they still wrote letters to the girls of room 107 with affection. From that bond, one couple eventually got married. To this day, the friendship between rooms 107 and 302 remains strong, and they still call one another and occasionally arrange meetups.

Recalling her student days, Teacher Thuỳ becomes as animated as if she were still a twenty-year-old. Those days not only provided her with cherished friendships but also motivated her to strive to become a better version of herself, inspiring her to study alongside her peers.

“Back then, seeing my friends go abroad made me ‘envious’ – I was determined to venture out into the world myself to broaden my horizons!” With determination and action, after completing her Master’s at HUST, I went abroad, securing a scholarship to pursue doctoral research in France.

Starting at HUST and returning with one clear purpose: to dedicate myself to HUST – where my journey both began and culminated into my career and personal happiness! In 2013, the newly minted Dr. Lê Minh Thuỳ officially became a lecturer at Hanoi University of Science and Technology.

(Image: Lecturer Lê Minh Thuỳ at a student’s thesis defense)

“I Hope the Role of Women in Research Will Be Elevated”

Like many HUST educators, Associate Professor Minh Thuỳ is committed to helping her students realize their full potential.

Within the RF3i group – part of the Sensor Lab that she manages and directly mentors – projects are broken down into smaller tasks. She identifies each student’s strengths and abilities, assigning roles that maximize individual potential to strengthen the whole team.

“Technical students always use their logical minds like supercomputers to find quick, neat, and efficient solutions, while the female students have a keen eye—almost like Sherlock Holmes—rarely missing any anomalies that might occur during experiments,” she explains.

Every year, around 10 new members join the RF3i group, of which only 1–2 are female. Perhaps because of their small numbers, she pays a little extra attention to the female students—“just a little!” she emphasizes. Yet, sometimes the male students playfully chide her, saying she favors the “tougher” ones!

Even though women make up nearly half the world’s population, less than 30% of researchers in her field are female. “I hope that the role of women in scientific research will be elevated even further!” confides Associate Professor Lê Minh Thuỳ.

In 2023, she led five female students in research on energy harvesting and in developing a soil moisture measurement device with a self-powered wireless sensor for precision agriculture.

Her deep commitment and belief in her students have been richly rewarded. The outstanding research achievements of her and her students helped her win the Asia Innovation Award 2023 from the Global Hitachi Foundation!

Home Sometimes Is... a Mini Office

Many know that Teacher Thuỳ conducts research on energy harvesting, often joking that her family is her daily source of “recharge” before heading to the university. Such remarks bring her great joy.

She confesses that she is fortunate to have tremendous support from her family, especially the assistance and understanding from her spouse—who is also a colleague in the same lab at the School of Electrical - Electronics, Associate Professor Nguyễn Quốc Cường.

(Image: Associate Professors Lê Minh Thuỳ and Nguyễn Quốc Cường with their RF3 group students)

“At home, he is the pillar of our family. At work, he is my mentor. Whenever a challenge arises, Professor Cường is always there!” Teacher Lê Minh Thuỳ beams as she speaks of her husband. Proudly recounting her story, she imagines their small family sometimes resembling a mini office, where she can rely on her “expert husband” to help untangle work-related issues.

Some of her research projects, inspired by her husband’s suggestions—always the silent supporter—include a soil moisture measurement device, a remote patient monitoring system, and a smart sleep assistant.

Reflecting on her journey, Associate Professor Lê Minh Thuỳ often says, “I’m lucky”: lucky to have received a scholarship to study abroad; lucky to have achieved success in research; lucky to have been recognized with prestigious awards; lucky to have a supportive family; lucky to have many colleagues at home and abroad; and lucky to have diligent, intelligent students…

“All my achievements are thanks to the backing of HUST,” she affirms. Perhaps HUST is the lucky starting point, but it is undoubtedly my relentless effort as an educator and scientist that has made all the difference today.

Key Themes in My Research:

• Designing low-power hardware solutions and wireless transceiver modules.

• Researching methods to harvest energy from various wave sources to power wireless devices, aiming ultimately to eliminate the need for batteries.

Associate Professor Thuỳ has published 101 scientific papers, including 34 in ISI journals; she has led and successfully completed 4 projects rated as Excellent at both the institutional and Ministry levels, 1 international project, and has 6 papers that won awards at conferences both at home and abroad. She is also a member of the IEEE-Sight Global Antenna and Propagation Research Funding Proposal Review Council.

Associate Professor Lê Minh Thuỳ is one of the three outstanding educators at HUST in 2024. She received a Commendation from the Ministry of Education and Training in 2023, a commendation from the Vietnamese Women Intellectual Association for outstanding achievements in research in 2022–2023, the Asia Innovation Award 2023 from the Global Hitachi Foundation, and the 2020 Ministry-level Emulation Fighter Award, among others.