Portrait of the first Vietnamese scientist to receive the TechWomen 100 Award

With outstanding research and contributions in the field of biotechnology, Dr. Nguyen Thuy Ba Linh from UCL (University College London) has become the first Vietnamese scientist to win the UK's TechWomen 100 Award.

Dr Nguyen Thuy Ba Linh won the award for her contributions to the research and development of advanced biomedical technologies, revolutionising tissue regeneration and wound healing techniques. She has also led many important biotechnology projects, including bone and skin regeneration materials technology. Initiated in 2017, the TechWomen 100 is the first award in the UK to honour and recognise the outstanding contributions and achievements of women in the field of technology.

The award aims to identify exceptional talent in the technology field, while creating an ecosystem where women in technology connect and support each other.

TechWomen 100 not only celebrates women in technology, but also supports them beyond with a comprehensive development program through training at business schools and opportunities to share and connect with the scientific community.

Dr. Vanessa Vallely, founder and CEO of WeAreTechWomen, Head of the organizing committee of the TechWomen 100 2024, said that she was honored that Dr. Ba Linh was one of the winners, becoming a leading figure for Vietnamese women working in technology in the UK. She highly appreciated Dr. Ba Linh's achievements and hoped that more Vietnamese female scientists would participate in the award, contributing to expanding the global nominations of TechWomen 100.

Dr. Ba Linh also expressed her pride in becoming the first Vietnamese person to receive the TechWomen 100 award. Although living and working in the UK, she is always proud to be Vietnamese and believes that the efforts of Vietnamese people can make a difference anywhere.

Dr. Ba Linh believes that the award is not only a recognition of individual efforts, but also proof that Vietnamese women are completely capable of achieving success in fields considered challenging such as science and technology.

Dr. Ba Linh, 44 years old, graduated with a major in Chemistry from Ho Chi Minh City University of Science in 2003 and received a PhD in regenerative medicine from Soonchunhyang University (Korea).

In 2016, she joined the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oxford, as a postdoctoral researcher, contributing to many important advances in biomedical engineering and tissue regeneration. During her time at Oxford, Ba Linh won the 2017 Outstanding Postdoctoral Researcher Award for developing a patented technology involving polycaprolactone beads for stem cell harvesting.

In 2019, Dr Ba Linh became a lecturer in biomaterials at the Eastman Dental Institute, UCL, teaching nanomedicine, biomedical engineering applications and clinical sciences, and supervising masters and doctoral students.

She is engaged in research on biomaterials for tissue regeneration, drug delivery systems, thermoresponsive polymers for stem cell expansion and harvesting.

She has published more than 50 peer-reviewed scientific articles, two book chapters, and two patents, and is an editor of several prestigious scientific journals such as Applied Biomaterials, Bioengineering, etc.

In addition to teaching and scientific research, Dr. Ba Linh founded SmileScaff – a company specializing in developing advanced technologies to accelerate wound healing and tissue regeneration.

She holds the position of President of Vietnam Young Academy from 2021-2023 and participates in advising young scientists and technology startups through the Association of Vietnamese Intellectuals in the UK and Ireland.

According to Intellectual Property