Dr. Huynh The Thien Named Among World’s Most Influential Scientists

According to the list of the world’s most influential scientists released on October 7, 2026, by the research team of Prof. John P.A. Ioannidis (Stanford University, USA) in collaboration with Elsevier, Dr. Huynh The Thien, a lecturer at the Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Engineering (HCM-UTE, formerly Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education), appears in both the single-year and the career-long rankings. In the field of Networking and Telecommunications, Dr. Huynh The Thien ranked 378th out of 228,312 scientists in 2025, placing him among the top 0.2% most influential scientists worldwide.

The list is compiled from the Scopus database and ranks scientists by a composite c-score made up of six citation indicators. These include the h-index and citations to papers on which the scientist is the sole, first or last author. This method reflects the real contribution of each scientist rather than relying only on the number of publications.

The ranking draws on citation data from Elsevier’s Scopus and covers more than 7 million scientists worldwide. Scientists are classified into 20 fields and 174 subfields. To be included, a researcher must rank in the top 2% of their subfield or among the 100,000 scientists with the highest impact scores in the world.

The results are published in two separate tables: a ranking based on impact in 2025 and an assessment of cumulative achievements over an entire scientific career. The first reflects research impact in a single year, while the second recognizes the contributions of each scientist throughout their career, regardless of the institution where they work.

According to the list, 280 scientists from 70 Vietnamese educational and research institutions appear in the 2025 ranking, while 121 scientists from 40 educational institutions are included in the career-long ranking.

In 2025 alone, Dr. Huynh The Thien’s publications received 1,833 citations, with a self-citation rate of only 5.84%. Over his career, he has 171 publications indexed in Scopus with 6,031 citations and an h-index of 38. His work has been cited by more than 5,000 other scientific publications worldwide, ranking him 3,680th in his subfield, within the top 1.6%. His main research areas are networking and telecommunications, artificial intelligence and image processing.

Dr. Huynh The Thien’s research journey began at HCM-UTE. After earning his engineering degree in Electronics and Telecommunications in 2011 and his master’s degree in Electronic Engineering in 2013 at the University, he received his Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from Kyung Hee University (South Korea) in 2018, along with the Superior Thesis Prize. While working in South Korea, he served as principal investigator of a research project funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) and is the inventor of three patents. In 2020, he received the Golden Globe Award for Science and Technology.

In September 2022, Dr. Huynh The Thien returned to teach at the Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at HCM-UTE and founded the Intelligent Multimedia and Advanced Computing Lab (IMAC-Lab), which focuses on deep learning for wireless signal processing, spectrum sensing in 5G/6G networks, integrated radar–communication systems and computer vision. He is currently leading a Ministry of Education and Training research project on deep learning algorithms for wireless signal recognition in next-generation communication networks (code B2025-SPK-03), and is taking part in a project funded by the National Foundation for Science and Technology Development (NAFOSTED) for 2025–2028, along with several university-level projects.

Alongside his research, Dr. Huynh The Thien teaches courses in artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning, virtual reality, blockchain technology and digital image processing, while focusing on identifying, nurturing and guiding students to take part in scientific research from an early stage. Many of the students he has supervised have published papers as first authors or co-authors in leading international journals such as IEEE Wireless Communications Letters, IEEE Communications Letters, IEEE Internet of Things Journal and IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology. Notably, papers by Dr. Huynh The Thien and his colleagues received the Best Paper Award at the International Conference on Advanced Technologies for Communications (ATC) three years in a row, in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Through IMAC-Lab, students, especially final-year undergraduates in related fields, have the opportunity to take part directly in research projects, develop artificial intelligence solutions and publish their work internationally. Beyond strengthening their expertise and research skills, high-achieving students who wish to pursue advanced studies receive support in finding and applying for fully funded master’s and doctoral scholarships, and are connected with professors and research groups in countries with advanced science and technology such as South Korea, Australia and Singapore. This is one of IMAC-Lab’s priorities in building a long-term academic pathway for students, from undergraduate research to graduate education and engagement with the international scientific community.

These results reflect the research and training capacity of the Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at HCM-UTE, which has 49 faculty members holding doctoral degrees. Of these, 20 are associate professors. In addition to undergraduate education, the Faculty offers master’s and doctoral programs in electrical engineering, electronics, telecommunications, and control and automation, linking training with research and international publication. Through its specialized research groups, graduate students and doctoral candidates can take part in research projects and gain access to advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, 5G/6G networks, embedded systems, semiconductor chips and smart automation, strengthening their research capacity and expanding their career opportunities.

Within the international scientific community, Dr. Huynh The Thien is a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and has served as an Editor of IEEE Communications Letters since 2024. He was named the journal’s Exemplary Editor in 2025 and Exemplary Reviewer in 2022 and 2023. He has also served as a Track Chair at SOICT 2025, ATC 2024, ATC 2025, ATC 2026 and RIVF 2025, and as a Technical Program Committee member of international conferences including IEEE GLOBECOM and IEEE ICC.

From the lecture halls of HCM-UTE to the wider world and back again to serve the University, Dr. Huynh The Thien’s journey reflects a learner-centered environment where creativity is nurtured and carried forward from one generation to the next. This achievement also affirms the research capacity of HCM-UTE’s faculty members on the international scientific map.

Text: PP – Photos: Courtesy of Dr. Huynh The Thien