Quang Dang-Le

Inspiring research spirit of young people

Quang Dang-Le

Current job: University lecturer at Vietnam National University

Thesis title: Flashing flow model for industrial energy applications
PhD Tesi Supervisor: Fabio Inzoli
Alumnus: PhD STEN, 29° cycle (2017)

What is your current job and what are you working on at the moment?

After defending my doctoral thesis from Politecnico di Milano, Department of Energy, Doctoral Programme In Energy And Nuclear in 2017, I found a great opportunity to work as a specialist on a national project in terms of safety system of the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan (The Institute of Applied Energy – IAE), and from here, I have gained and accumulated a lot of hands-on experience in a large organization.

When the project ended, I decided to return to my hometown of Vietnam to teach and research at the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM) to impart knowledge and experience to the younger generation and participate in many important national-level energy projects. My major is energy and nuclear, in terms of opportunity, now is the most exciting time to enter the university environment, while my country is entering a fast-changing economy with the largest talent scarcity seen in decades. I am interested in development projects of the country that enable me to continue research and stimulate the research spirit of young people. Because in my opinion, developing research or doing projects cannot be done alone, there should be an environment to interact between students with experienced people, and also among different industries.

Why did you choose to enroll in the STEN PhD program at POLIMI?

During my university time, I dreamed of one day studying abroad to have the opportunity to further improve my field of study, to be integrated in the dynamic modern atmosphere of abroad students, to be studied in a famous and beautiful school with a large green grass in front of the schoolyard. And I want to get a scholarship for studying abroad, because my family can’t afford to study abroad, and being awarded an abroad scholarship is also a matter of pride.

Among many universities I applied for and researched, I was very interested and looking forward to receiving a positive response, approval result from Politecnico di Milano, which is one the most outstanding technical universities in Europe, and the largest Italian university. Where I can do more in-depth research my current major of Energy and Nuclear Science and Technology at my university in Vietnam.

POLIMI, as far as I’m aware, has a number of research initiatives that play an important role in its purpose of providing the highest possible educational standards. Strong ties to industry research, significant European grants, and a set of well-equipped laboratories all contribute to its success. With this knowledge, I was even more motivated to look for scholarships at POLIMI. I strived to overcome all obstacles and barriers at the moment in order to accomplish the goal I dubbed my sublime destination.

Can you tell us about your PhD study at POLIMI? What were the main topics of your research?

I know POLIMI offers many research programs which play a central role in its mission, their aim is at providing the best standards in education. It is also fuelled by strong links to corporate research, considerable European funds, and a set of well-equipped laboratories. With this information, I had more motivation to hunt for scholarships at POLIMI. I tried to overcome all difficulties, and barriers at that time to reach the goal that I temporarily call my ‘sublime destination’.

My field of study can be considered a rare field for development scientists in my country. I had a chance to work with famous professors of POLIMI. They inspired and gave me more orientation to return to work and research, dedicated to my home country of Vietnam after defending my doctoral thesis.

How would you describe the PhD experience at POLIMI?

I am quite satisfied with the learning environment at POLIMI, both foreign students and local residents. Everyone is friendly and always willing to learn and help each other. It has helped me learn how to harness the potential of social friendships that enables me to be more effective in my role, so I can find out what’s going on in the surrounding communication environment and exert influence, and at the same time learned a lot of soft skills that the youth in my country may have not yet had opportunity to develop. Somehow these networks bridge barriers and allow me to gain access to information I might not otherwise be able to get.

If I stay in Europe, I may have many career opportunities and good relationships, but I want to use what I have accumulated abroad to convey to the young generations of students in my country, to myself continue participating in both national and international research projects.

Which advice would you give to new engineers that are pondering about applying to the STEN PhD program at Polimi?

Entering the PhD program, you typically have many concerns. Should I try for a PhD? That is the question of many people. Of course, after earning a doctorate, most people are likely to be lecturers, professors or laboratory researchers, or a research specialist. At Polimi, you properly do not know everything in the first year of the PhD program, you will have an experience of interacting with a group of foreign friends who seem to know more than you. However, in my perspective, studying for a PhD here was the most wonderful experience. Different from studying at the local bachelor or master level, participating in a PhD program at Polimi will offer you an opportunity to practice and develop many professional skills: critical thinking skills, the ability to choose Information filtering and evaluation, advanced reading and writing skills, data analysis ability, and specially, provided in-depth research in your major under the guidance of very supportive and professional professors. These skills can help you contribute, build, and form new knowledge for your major through researching and publishing scientific articles in international scientific journals in the future. What should I do first? Having a buddy. It could be a senior student in your research program or even your mentor/tutor/supervisor. A buddy will help you to reaffirm your decision to join the program. They provide you with a reliable, motivated, single point-of-contact for your basic questions regarding schooling and local living experiences. At least for my case, one of the most rewarding parts of my research was collaborating with and receiving much helpful advice from my professional supervisor as well as my local friends.

Inspiring research spirit of young people

Quang Dang-Le

What is your current job and what are you working on at the moment?

Why did you choose to enroll in the STEN PhD program at POLIMI?

Can you tell us about your PhD study at POLIMI? What were the main topics of your research?

How would you describe the PhD experience at POLIMI?

Which advice would you give to new engineers that are pondering about applying to the STEN PhD program at Polimi?

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