Vietnamese female scientist at Stanford works on high-stakes battery research with US Department of Energy

In November 2025 she received the L’Oréal–UNESCO For Women in Science Award that honors women researchers who make outstanding scientific contributions.

Her research into advanced materials for lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries is expected to enable next-generation energy storage. Her work spans multiple battery formats, from coin cells to pouch cells, with the goal of improving durability, safety and charging speed.

Linh Le, 29, a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University in the U.S. Photo courtesy of Linh

Her path into chemistry began almost by chance. Chemistry was her weakest subject in high school, yet she scored 9.8 out of 10 in the university entrance exam in 2014. She was admitted to both the University of Medicine and Pharmacy and the Vietnam National University in HCMC’s University of Science. Recognizing the practical applications of chemistry in everyday life, she chose the honors chemistry program at the latter.

In her third year she specialized in physical chemistry and began hands-on work in a professor’s battery laboratory on campus. While completing her undergraduate thesis on battery electrolytes, she sought exposure to a more advanced research environment and secured an internship at Professor Shigeto Okada’s laboratory at Kyushu University in Japan.

During that period she published three papers, which later helped her secure a PhD scholarship at Pennsylvania State University in the U.S. in 2020. At Penn State, she worked in a laboratory collaborating directly with the U.S. Department of Energy.

The projects focused on practical applications in energy storage, particularly electric vehicles, consumer electronics such as smartphones, and large-scale storage systems. She interned at EC Power and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, gaining firsthand experience in transferring battery research from laboratory settings to industry.

Despite having overseas experience, she says it took more than a year to adjust to the new environment. After overcoming language, cultural and lifestyle barriers, she faced intense pressure related to data quality and research deadlines. She recalls sleepless nights during her doctoral studies: "At one point I tested 20 samples, and only one met the requirements. The pressure of deadlines and accuracy in the data reports for professors often made it hard to eat or sleep."

To cope, she learned to "slow down," set aside time to recover and discuss problems proactively with colleagues to find new approaches. She says her strongest motivation came from the effort it took to study in the U.S. and the support of her family, friends and colleagues.

Linh receives the L’Oréal–UNESCO For Women in Science Award 2025 that honors women researchers who make outstanding scientific contributions. Photo courtesy of Linh

As her laboratory became a core participant in multiple projects, she often handled two to three high-security projects simultaneously. The work required strict compliance, including detailed personal background declarations from the age of 18, the use of government-controlled equipment and limits on communication with colleagues outside each project.

Last year she successfully defended her PhD dissertation on electrolytes and protective layers for fast-charging, high-capacity lithium-metal batteries, aiming to reduce energy loss and battery degradation. During this period, she also collaborated with Stanley Whittingham, the 2019 chemistry Nobel Prize winner. "I am incredibly fortunate to have such opportunities," she says.

Her L’Oréal–UNESCO award recognized research on Li-S batteries, a next-generation technology with higher energy density, lower costs and more abundant raw materials than lithium-ion batteries, which are becoming increasingly scarce. The technology could enable lighter, longer-lasting and safer devices, including smartphones and ultra-compact electronics, she says.

But there are still major technical hurdles to making Li-S batteries, including limited anode durability and the "polysulfide shuttle" effect, which causes capacity loss over repeated charge cycles, she explains. After completing the Li-S project, she has shifted her focus to sodium-ion batteries, a lower-cost alternative viewed as a future option for large-scale energy storage. The field remains underdeveloped, with limited standardized electrolytes, electrode systems and reference materials, requiring her to build much of the research framework from scratch.

Linh believes battery technology will be a key sector over the next 30 to 50 years as countries accelerate the transition to electric vehicles, creating strong demand for both research and skilled professionals. Reflecting on her journey, she says solid foundational knowledge and logical thinking were essential.

She encourages students to seek support in international environments and build professional networks to adapt more effectively.

"Always keep learning, be open to feedback, and be ready to change. In science, never rely solely on your own abilities."