On December 15, 2025, the Prime Minister signed a Decision to appoint Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai - Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City National University (VNU-HCM), to hold the position of Director of VNU-HCM.
Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai, born in 1974 in Quang Ngai province. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Ho Chi Minh City University (now the University of Natural Sciences, VNU-HCM) in 1996. After that, she worked in the Department of Chemistry, continued to study and received a Master's degree in Chemistry, majoring in Analytical Chemistry in 2001 at the University of Natural Sciences.
In 2002, she went to Japan to study a doctoral program at Toyama University of Medicine and Pharmacy and received her PhD in Pharmacy in 2005. After completing her studies, she returned home and continued working at the University of Natural Sciences.
Since 2007, she has held the positions of Head of the Department, Deputy Head of the Department, and Head of the Department of Chemistry. In 2021, she was appointed Vice Principal of the University of Natural Sciences and from 2022 co- Principal of the School of Electricity and Technology. She was recognized as Associate Professor in 2014, Professor in 2020; at the same time, was awarded the title of Meritorious Teacher in 2024.
On June 12, 2024, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai was appointed as Deputy Director of VNU-HCM.
Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai is a leading scientist in research on Vietnamese medicinal herbs. Her research team has successfully developed two products to support the treatment of gastrointestinal cancer and arthritis from domestic medicinal herbs - a direction with high scientific value and potential application.
In the field of research on bee products in Vietnam, the research team of Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai received the Golden Globe Award 2017 and the Ho Chi Minh City Innovation Award (2019). In 2021, she was awarded the Kovalevskaia Award - a prestigious award for female scientists with outstanding achievements in research and application of science. To date, she has published more than 80 articles in prestigious international journals.
In the international arena, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai continues to affirm her scientific position in Vietnam. In October 2025, at the 17th Conference of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), she was recognized as a TWAS Institute - becoming one of the first Vietnamese female scientists to achieve this title.
