August 29, 2024

Young Vietnamese researcher with a passion for structural engineering

Hoang Vu Le was born and raised in rural central Vietnam (Phu Yen Province), a region where many people were and still are economically disadvantaged. His desire to improve his family’s living conditions and to contribute to the development of his hometown has motivated him to study hard and better himself. In 2011, he won a national excellent student prize in Physics while studying at Luong Van Chanh High School for the Gifted in Phu Yen. This prize initially encouraged and nurtured Vu’s development in Physics-related fields such as structural engineering.

Vu is currently pursuing his PhD at the University of Sydney(USyd) under the supervision of Associate Professor Cao Hung Pham, as part of the Steel Research Hub for Australian Steel Innovation at the University of Wollongong and in collaboration with Enduroframe®, a subsidiary of BlueScope Steel Ltd. The program offers an ideal training and research environment, where Vu can address practical challenges in structural design alongside national and international professionals and experts.

Vu’s current research project can be divided into two stages. The first stage involves investigating the structural behaviour of screwed connections within floor systems, which is also his specific research topic. The second stage extends this study to encompass the entire floor system. Over the past two years, his team have been working collaboratively with the BlueScope research team to complete two series of tests (more than 200 specimens), yielding positive outcomes and evidence-based findings. Two conference papers have been reviewed and accepted by the project managers and nearly four journal papers are currently being prepared for publishing their latest findings.  

Full scholarships for his studies, from bachelor's to master's and now PhD degrees, provided by study promotion funds, sponsoring companies, and institutions like USydIS, have gradually helped Vu realise his dreams. Vu is deeply grateful for the support he has received from the very early stages, which has shaped the person he is today.