Professor Vicky Thao D. Nguyen is the only person of Vietnamese origin among 100 young scientists recently bestowed an award by US President Barack Obama.

It is the highest honor bestowed by the US government on young professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.

Thao graduated from the Massachusets Institute of Technology and got her MA and Ph.D degrees from Stanford University. She was born in Vietnam in 1976 and her family migrated to the US in 1986.

The awards, established by the then US President Bill Clinton in 1996, are based on two criteria - the pursuit of innovative research and a commitment to community service.

Awarded scientists and engineers get a five-year research grant to further their study in support of government missions.

Source: VNA