{
  "id": 1630311,
  "title": "Vietnam student reaches out to US professors, wins $282,000 PhD scholarship to pursue AI research",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/vietnam-student-reaches-out-to-us-professors-wins-282-000-phd",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-18T04:04:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "VnExpress International",
    "slug": "vnexpress-international",
    "url": "https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/education/vietnam-student-reaches-out-to-us-professors-wins-282-000-phd-scholarship-to-pursue-ai-research-5109189.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Hoang Hieu, a Data Science and Statistics graduate from the University of California, Davis, is set to begin a PhD program in Applied Statistics at the University of California, Riverside. UCR is ranked 75th among national universities and 36th among top public schools in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings. Hieu decided to pursue a PhD to further his research and become an AI expert. After high school in the U.S., Hieu studied at UC Davis, pursuing Statistics due to his passion for mathematics, specifically linear algebra and multivariable calculus. He joined the Google Developer Student Club and a machine-learning student network to enhance his skills and expand his professional network. During his final year, Hieu worked as a research advisor on job-search tools and contributed to a NASA project proposal. The turning point for Hieu was a research project on DNA and cell structures, where he lacked practical skills. After graduating, he worked for a nonprofit organization, realizing his academic environment was a better fit. Hieu applied for PhD programs, expressing interest in large language models, focusing on scalability and interpretability. He contacted UCR professors working on related projects, demonstrating his understanding and CV. Hieu's acceptance was due to his ability to explain his research direction clearly and ask insightful questions during interviews.",
  "summary": "A 23-year-old Vietnamese student proactively contacted professors and demonstrated how his skills could advance their research, eventually securing a US$282,000 PhD scholarship to study Statistics at the University of California, Riverside (UCR).",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}