Vice-Chancellor, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM)
Prof. Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai was appointed Vice-Chancellor of Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNUHCM) in June 2024. She has also been served as the Pricipal of VNUHCM’s High School for the Gifted since 2022.
Prior to her role as VNUHCM’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Nguyen was the Vice President of VNUHCM- University of Science (2021 - 2024) and the Dean of Faculty of Chemistry (2013 – 2021). She began her academic career in 1996 as a lecturer in Medical Chemistry in the Faculty of Medicine.
Prof. Nguyen earned her Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Science from the University of Toyama, Japan in 2005. Her research interests focus on Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry, particularly in elucidating the structures and biological activities of isolated compounds from Vietnamese medicinal plants. She has nearly 90 peer-reviewed research papers and developed various dietary supplements that support human health. Prof. Nguyen received the Kovalevskaia Award - the most prestiguous award for female scientists in Vietnam – in 2021.