The silent journey of female scientists

The contributions of female scientists have contributed to creating a theoretical and practical foundation for policy making, improving people's lives and moving towards sustainable development of the country. The stories of Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Phuong Cham (Director of the Institute of Cultural Studies, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences) and Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Thi Phuong Thao (Institute of Chemistry, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology) are vivid evidence of the mettle, intelligence and aspiration to contribute of Vietnamese women in the new era.

Women don't need priority, they need equality.

Photo caption — Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Phuong Cham, Director of the Institute of Cultural Studies, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences. Photo: Thanh Huong/VNA

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Phuong Cham, Director of the Institute of Cultural Studies (Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences), said that Vietnamese women today are facing many pressures in their journey of development and asserting their position. Balancing work, family and social responsibilities is a big challenge, especially for those working in a research environment, which requires high professional capacity, a sense of responsibility and constant effort.

In order for women to be able to develop their full potential, they need the support and sharing from their agency leaders, colleagues and family. This is the support that helps them feel secure in their work, stick with their profession and contribute effectively to the collective. A fair, friendly and respectful working environment will create conditions for women to develop their capacity, creativity, and bring practical value to society.

During her many years of work, Associate Professor Nguyen Thi Phuong Cham is one of the leading scientists in the field of cultural research in Vietnam. She has chaired and participated in dozens of ministerial and state-level projects, including outstanding works such as "Building a system of cultural values associated with preserving and developing the Vietnamese family value system in the new era" and "Restructuring the culture of border residents in the context of Vietnam - China trade development". These studies contribute to providing important scientific arguments for cultural policy making, human resource development and preserving national identity in the context of integration.

As Director of the Institute for Cultural Studies, Associate Professor Nguyen Thi Phuong Cham focuses the Institute's research on the fields of cultural transformation, intangible cultural heritage and community culture, and is responsible for managing the Institute's information portal and academic activities. She has made important contributions to policy consultation, providing expert views during the drafting of the Law on Cultural Heritage (amended) and many cultural policy forums, contributing to the integration of academic evidence into the policy making and implementation process.

On the international academic level, Associate Professor Nguyen Thi Phuong Cham has collaborated with Harvard-Yenching Institute (HYI) many times as a guest speaker and scholar, and co-edited publications in the academic book series supported by HYI, contributing to promoting knowledge about Vietnamese culture to the world . In parallel, she also participated in postgraduate training and organized the Cultural Studies program at the Academy of Social Sciences, contributing to the development of a high-quality cultural research workforce for the country.

During her research career, Associate Professor Nguyen Thi Phuong Cham has published more than 10 monographs and over 60 scientific articles at home and abroad on village culture, culture of overseas Vietnamese communities, urban culture and contemporary social change. Works such as "Suburban villages and cultural change", "Kinh ethnic community culture in Kinh Dao (Dong Hung, Guangxi, China)" or research on " Hanoi sidewalks - multidimensional public spaces" are all highly appreciated for their new approach, combining academic theory and real life practice. In addition to research activities, she also participates in training, guiding graduate students and providing policy advice, spreading cultural knowledge into social life...

According to Associate Professor Nguyen Thi Phuong Cham, women do not need to be given priority, but need to be fairly recognized, properly recognized for their abilities and real contributions. It is the fairness in opportunities and evaluation that helps women confidently develop, assert themselves and continue the traditional qualities of “Heroic, Indomitable, Loyal, and Responsible” in the new era.

When passion becomes motivation

In the middle of a brightly lit laboratory, the image of a woman diligently working on a test tube, carefully handling each reaction and measurement, has become a symbol of the dedication of Vietnamese women in scientific research. One of those typical faces is Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Thi Phuong Thao, Head of the Department of Organic Synthesis, Institute of Chemistry (Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology), who has spent more than two decades researching natural compounds, aiming at applications serving human health and sustainable development.

Associate Professor Tran Thi Phuong Thao has chaired and participated in many ministerial and state-level scientific projects, publishing more than 90 articles in prestigious domestic and foreign scientific journals. The research direction focuses on exploiting natural compounds with biological activity to serve the treatment of infectious diseases, this is a field of profound social significance in the context of the world constantly facing epidemics and climate change. In particular, the research direction of developing active ingredients from Vietnamese medicinal herbs to support the treatment of dengue fever is one of the typical directions, demonstrating the spirit of science associated with practical life and community benefits.

Pursuing the major of Organic Chemistry since she was a student at the University of Natural Sciences (Vietnam National University, Hanoi), Associate Professor Tran Thi Phuong Thao soon determined that scientific research is a long path, requiring perseverance and passion. After successfully defending her PhD thesis at Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (Federal Republic of Germany) in 2006, she returned to Vietnam and continued to promote research on the synthesis and structural transformation of organic compounds, especially natural derivatives with biological activity.

During the period 2019-2023, Associate Professor Tran Thi Phuong Thao is the project leader of the project "Research on screening of ClpC1 inhibitors with anti-tuberculosis potential from actinomycetes isolated in Vietnam". This is a new approach to finding compounds capable of fighting tuberculosis bacteria, especially multidrug-resistant strains, one of the major challenges of modern medicine. The research results open up prospects for applying natural compounds in the development of effective and safe tuberculosis treatment drugs, demonstrating the capacity and sense of responsibility of Vietnamese scientists in the face of global health issues.

Not only successful in research, Associate Professor Tran Thi Phuong Thao is also the co-author of four patents and utility solutions, including two international patents. One of the typical works is the invention "Esterelongationsverfahren zum sequenzgesteuerten Aufbau alternierender Peptid-Peptoid-Polymere", registered in the Federal Republic of Germany, opening up a new method of synthesizing peptides-peptoids on a polymer basis. This work has potential applications in modern medicine, especially in the treatment of complex diseases such as cancer, demonstrating the creative capacity and integration vision of Vietnamese scientists.

In parallel with research, Associate Professor Tran Thi Phuong Thao is also passionate about training and successfully guiding five doctoral students and six graduate students, always promoting the spirit of self-study, critical thinking and creativity in research. With a serious, open and encouraging working style, Associate Professor Tran Thi Phuong Thao inspires many students to pursue a scientific path with faith and a spirit of serving society.

Like many other female scientists, Associate Professor Tran Thi Phuong Thao also faces pressure in balancing work and family life. Long business trips and nights working in the laboratory require many sacrifices, but the sympathy and sharing from relatives, especially from parents, have become a great source of encouragement. "From them, I learned perseverance, responsibility and love of knowledge, values that help me persistently pursue a research career," Associate Professor Tran Thi Phuong Thao shared.

Currently, Associate Professor Tran Thi Phuong Thao and her research team continue to promote highly applied research directions, focusing on exploiting natural compounds from Vietnamese plants to search for active ingredients against Dengue virus that causes dengue fever, an urgent public health issue when the world has no specific treatment. These efforts not only contribute to the development of Vietnamese science in the applied direction, but also affirm the role and responsibility of women in the journey to build a sustainable future for the country.

It can be seen that the examples of female scientists such as Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Phuong Cham and Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Thi Phuong Thao are just two of thousands of examples of Vietnamese women who are tirelessly contributing in all fields. In the current period of integration and development, the contributions of Vietnamese female scientists are becoming more and more meaningful to the sustainable development of the country.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/nguoi-tot-viec-tot/hanh-trinh-tham-lang-cua-cac-nha-khoa-hoc-nu-20251019211120324.htm