# Vietnamese-born AI researcher Hoang Trong Nghia wins NSF CAREER Award worth $600,000

> Washington State University computer scientist Hoang Trong Nghia has won the NSF CAREER Award, along with $600,000 in funding. His research focuses on AI reliability, including models that gauge confidence in their own predictions.

- Type: AI news
- Page: https://completeaitraining.com/news/vietnamese-born-ai-researcher-hoang-trong-nghia-wins-nsf-2/
- Published: 2026-05-06
- Updated: 2026-05-07
- Author: Jeroen Erne
- Jobs: Science and research
- Reading time: 1 min

### Vietnamese-Origin AI Researcher Wins NSF CAREER Award

Hoang Trong Nghia, a computer scientist at Washington State University, has received the NSF CAREER Award, one of the most prestigious recognitions for early-career researchers in the US scientific system. The award includes $600,000 in funding.

Nghia, born in 1987, earned his PhD in Computer Science from the National University of Singapore and held positions at MIT, the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab, and Amazon Web Services AI Labs before returning to academia in 2023.

#### Research Focus: Making AI Systems More Reliable

Nghia's work addresses foundational problems in machine learning. His primary focus is uncertainty-aware systems - AI models that can assess the confidence of their own predictions.

In fields like healthcare or autonomous systems, knowing when a prediction might fail is as important as accuracy itself. His research improves how AI handles imperfect and incomplete data.

He also studies federated learning, a method that trains AI models on distributed data without centralizing sensitive information. This approach matters for medical records, personal data, and connected devices where privacy is critical.

A third area of his work is black-box optimization - algorithms that improve complex systems too intricate to describe mathematically. Applications include material design, microchip optimization, drug interaction prediction, and biological data analysis.

#### Career Path and Background

Nghia graduated from the University of Science in Ho Chi Minh City with a talent-track degree in Information Technology. He previously lectured at the University of Information Technology under Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City.

His father, Hoang Van Kiem, is a former chairman of the State Council for Professorship in Information Technology and an AI expert in Vietnam.

#### What the Award Signals

The CAREER Award represents a national investment in researchers expected to lead new research directions over the coming decades. For a Vietnamese-origin scientist receiving recognition in AI and machine learning, the award reflects broader participation in global scientific progress during a period when AI is reshaping multiple industries.

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