Hanoi university student works at Nvidia before graduating

Pham Vu Tuan Dat, 22, has got a degree in computer science with a cumulative GPA of 3.66/4.

The northern Dien Bien Province native also had the highest conduct score of 97/100 thanks to participation in student organizations and scientific research.

He was the lead author of a research paper each presented at a conference held by the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence and the International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing, two global international conferences on AI, sound processing, and signals.

He was a member of the FPT Talent Center and interned at VinBrain before getting a job at the company.

After Nvidia, the world's largest chip manufacturer, acquired VinBrain late last year, Dat got the opportunity to work for it.

"I am fortunate and grateful to have gained such valuable experiences before graduating from university," he says.

Pham Vu Tuan Dat in a portrait photo he provides.

Dat was a physics student at Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted in Dien Bien. He was admitted to the Hanoi University of Science and Technology in 2021 through a talent-based selection process after he won first place in the provincial Informatics and Science and Technology competition and became a member of the national Physics Olympiad team.

He explains: "Choosing the Hanoi University of Science and Technology was not a random decision due to its reputation. I chose it after careful analysis and with a clear direction. I wanted to pursue scientific research here."

But he was still overwhelmed by the workload at the university.

In high school a lesson would take up half a page of A4 paper, but at the university he often had to learn an entire chapter whose content covered six blackboards in just two or three hours.

Before he could understand it, another topic would follow.

After the first month Dat started to adapt by reading and trying to learn by himself before class, paying attention to the parts he did not understand and asking teachers when needed.

As his learning settled into a routine, he decided to immediately engage in scientific research just as he had planned before entering the university.

He researched laboratory groups and considered suitable directions before reaching out.

His first email was sent to Associate Professor Dr. Huynh Thi Thanh Binh, head of the optimization research group and now also vice rector of the School of Information and Communication Technology.

Binh says Dat was then one of the very few students eager to engage in research from their first year.

She recalls: "It was February 28, 2022. I was surprised to receive Dat's email because it was so early to apply to the lab."

After reading his email, which clearly outlined his reasons and commitments, she decided to invite him to the lab and participate in weekly meetings.

Starting research early posed challenges for him since as he lacked much specialized knowledge, but he saw it as an opportunity to learn early.

He attended all sessions and asked senior students how to read scientific papers, analyze and synthesize data and identify new issues to write research articles on.

Pham Vu Tuan Dat and his teacher Huynh Thi Thanh Binh at his graduation ceremony at Hanoi University of Science and Technology May 10, 2025. Photo by courtesy of Dat

At the same time he joined the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Club, the Youth Union and the Student Association of the School of Information and Communication Technology, serving as a teaching assistant.

He also participated in several startup competitions at the Hanoi University of Science and Technology, National Economics University and Foreign Trade University, once winning first place.

"Dat's college years at the Hanoi University of Science and Technology were spent from morning to night at school," Binh says.

"I am very impressed with his clear direction, determination, hard work, and versatility."

Starting while in his first year Dat has his personal profile on LinkedIn.

He says: "Instead of scrolling through Facebook, I spent my time browsing LinkedIn to learn more about my field. Every year I update my profile with new achievements."

Pham Vu Tuan Dat (R) and other participants at the International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing in India, April 2025. Photo courtesy of Dat

In September 2023 he was contacted through LinkedIn, where his profile was a good match for VinBrain.

After researching and applying he was accepted for an internship in the company's applied sciences department.

During his time there, he participated in research on AI healthcare product features and addressed issues related to the company's products.

This was also when he had his first publication at the ICASSP conference.

After one year VinBrain offered Dat a work contract though he had not yet graduated, and he has remained with the company, now owned by Nvidia, ever since.

"Initially my goal was to study abroad after graduation," he says. "But after having the opportunity to work at this multinational corporation, I changed my plans."

He works at Nvidia while also pursuing a master's degree in data science at the Hanoi University of Science and Technology.

"I want to have solid expertise and experience," he adds.