The first Vietnamese person to be honored with the TechWomen 100 award

Surpassing thousands of nominations, Dr. Nguyen Thuy Ba Linh, 44 years old, University College London (UCL) is the only Vietnamese person to be included in the 100 winners of TechWomen100 in 2024. The award honors potential female leaders in the field of technology, with outstanding achievements and community influence in the UK. Among the faces on this list over the years, Dr. Linh is the first Vietnamese scientist.

Dr. Ba Linh graduated with a major in Chemistry from the University of Natural Sciences, Ho Chi Minh City in 2003. Receiving her PhD from Soonchunhyang University, Korea with research focusing on regenerative medicine, Ba Linh joined the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oxford as a postdoctoral researcher, pursuing important research directions in biomedical engineering and tissue regeneration. She and her colleagues developed a technology related to large-scale polycaprolactone beads for stem cell harvesting. The research was patented and successfully licensed for commercial use. Thanks to this work, she won the Faculty’s Outstanding Postdoctoral Researcher Award at Oxford University in 2017.

Since 2019, Dr. Linh has been a lecturer in Biomaterials at the Eastman Dental Institute, University College London (UCL). Her research interests include biomaterials for tissue regeneration, drug delivery systems, and thermoresponsive polymers for stem cell expansion and harvesting. She has conducted many important projects on bone and skin regeneration material technology.

Dr. Linh has published more than 50 peer-reviewed articles, two book chapters, and two patents. She is also an editor and reviewer for many prestigious journals such as Journal of Biomaterials Applicationsand teaches courses in nanomedicine, biomedical engineering applications, and clinical sciences. In 2021-2023, Dr. Linh will serve as a community advisor and leader, president of the Vietnam Young Academy, and mentor young scientists through the Vietnam Intellectuals Association in the UK and Ireland.

In addition to her academic research, she is the founder and CEO of SmileScaff, a company that develops advanced material technologies to accelerate wound healing and tissue regeneration. SmileScaff combines advanced biomaterials with practical medical applications to revolutionize tissue engineering.

Share with VnExpress From the UK, Dr. Ba Linh said with great pride that the award is a voice of support for women in the field of science and technology, honoring women who overcome challenges and barriers, becoming role models for other women, especially those from developed countries. “I hope to become an inspiration for the generation of Vietnamese and global technology talents, showing that limits can be broken, achievements can be achieved through passion and dedication.”

Dr. Linh said she will promote research, biotechnology and tissue engineering projects, bringing innovative solutions into practice. She hopes to cooperate with leading researchers, organizations and science and technology companies. The doctor also hopes that the next generation of scientists will be well prepared to continue developing this important field, raising awareness of the challenges and opportunities for women in STEM fields, and inspiring young people to pursue careers in technology and science.

Launched in 2017, the TechWomen100 is the first awards to celebrate women working in technology in the UK. The awards also feature senior champions, global campaigners, trailblazing companies and networks that support the career progression of women in technology.

In its third year, TechWomen100 2024 received more than 1,150 applications, went through rounds of review and voting to honor 100 outstanding women. The award ceremony will take place on November 21, at the Queen Elizabeth II Center, London, UK.