Behind the AI Algorithms Optimizing Life-Saving Irradiation by a HUST Seed Lecturer

In the modern laboratory of Yonsei University in South Korea, HUST alumnus Pham Quang Vinh focuses on researching complex nuclear simulations and dense lines of artificial intelligence (AI) code. He is currently a Ph.D. student at the Radiation Physics Analysis Laboratory of Prof. Chulhee Min - a highly respected and positioned scholar in the international academic community, especially in the field of Radiation Engineering. Mr. Vinh is a seed lecturer of Hanoi University of Science and Technology under the University's "Creating a Source of Lecturers for the 2023 - 2030 Period" Scheme.

Recalling memories of school, teachers, and friends, young teacher Pham Quang Vinh spoke about his bold decision to pivot when he chose to pursue a major in Medical Physics (PH3) to find the intersection between the power of engineering and medicine.

The Touchpoint Between Nuclear Engineering and Medicine

Right when facing career orientation choices, Vinh early realized he had a special interest in the medical field, wishing to create direct impacts on community health. However, the core strength of that 18-year-old boy lay in natural sciences and engineering thinking. "Finding the Medical Physics - PH3 major at Hanoi University of Science and Technology became the solution to connecting these two elements," Mr. Vinh shared.

At the time of his enrollment in 2021, PH3 was a new direction, promising much room for development in Vietnam while opening up opportunities for long-term contributions to the country's medicine. He decided to place full trust in HUST to build a methodical engineering foundation as a launchpad for sustainable medical applications.

The learning environment at HUST is famous for being intensive and serious, and young Quang Vinh considered this a "forging" period that helped form a high degree of autonomy. A CPA of 3.7/4.0 and a series of excellent scholarships he achieved are the results of his persistent training throughout 4 years of studying at HUST.
  Mr. Vinh still clearly remembers the memory of being "overloaded" after an internship trip to the Dalat Nuclear Research Institute in May 2024. Upon returning to Hanoi, he and his group of friends had only 2 days left to prepare a report for the Student Scientific Research Conference. The state of exhaustion after a long trip combined with the pressure to complete the report made the whole group overloaded, but they still tried their best to achieve the best results.

Staying up late continuously to refine every slide and practice presenting helped him realize his capacity to withstand pressure and his own persistence. Those seemingly exhausting moments built up confidence, helping the HUST student that year be ready to face intensive research requiring long-term focus later on.

The three keywords "Discipline - Mutual Support - Responsibility" became his guiding principle throughout his study time at the Faculty of Engineering Physics. Discipline forced him to be serious and persistent with every difficult problem. The spirit of mutual support was demonstrated through the companionship of friends and teachers, helping him overcome complex professional barriers.

Especially, a sense of responsibility gradually formed when he understood that jobs in the Medical Physics field are directly related to human lives. Every line of code or mathematical model requires ultimate caution and precision.

The Mission of the "White-Coated Engineer" Through Research Works
  Mr. Vinh recalled: "The teachers at HUST played a key role in shaping my professional thinking." He mentioned Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Van Thai - Vice Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Physics - with deep respect; the teacher ignited his passion through the Introduction to Medical Physics module right from the first classes at HUST. The way the teacher connected nuclear physics theory with practical applications in hospitals helped him escape his initial career ambiguity. When actively asking the teacher to guide his scientific research in his sophomore year, he learned how to think systematically and organize work effectively.

During his study time at HUST, the period he started participating in Deep Learning research for lung medical imaging diagnosis, Vinh once felt vague about the practical significance of what he was doing. Most of the time he had to work with dry mathematical concepts and neural network models.

However, when he started building neural network architectures like U-Net, UNet++, SegNet, ResUNet++, or TransUNet, he began to see specific results. He diligently compared the performance and accuracy of these models in segmenting lung CT images. The moment he saw the algorithm capable of consistently identifying abnormal features on real medical data was the moment he realized the true value of the job. Deep Learning models had become a bridge helping doctors detect tumors early, improving patient treatment effectiveness.
  The internship opportunity at the 108 Military Central Hospital, along with the dedicated guidance of Dr., Eng. Pham Quang Trung, gave Vinh direct access to modern radiotherapy technologies such as IMRT, VMAT, or SRS. It was here that he understood more than ever the mission of those working in Medical Physics, the silent 'white-coated engineers', diligently guarding the precision and safety of every life-saving radiation beam. His research topic on AI algorithms for RapidArc radiosurgery planning focused on optimizing the treatment bed angle and beam collimator angle for patients with multiple brain metastases. This is a complex optimization problem to ensure precise dose distribution while maximally protecting surrounding healthy brain tissue.

"The happiest moment is seeing the algorithm yield outstanding results on actual clinical data. The fact that the model can compete fairly, or even be more optimal than multi-billion dong commercial software from the world's leading radiotherapy machine manufacturers, is an important proof. It helps minimize reliance on personal experience and significantly shortens treatment planning time," Mr. Vinh shared.

This research is currently undergoing peer review in an international scientific journal, affirming the stature of research works originating from Hanoi University of Science and Technology.

Besides research on computers and in hospitals, Mr. Vinh also directly participated in radiation incident response drills and surface radioactive contamination measurements at the Dalat Nuclear Research Institute. Directly exploring the reactor helped him understand the essence of radiation safety principles rather than just stopping at textbook pages. He learned to use Geant4 to simulate the interaction of every photon or electron with biological tissue. Combining with Monte Carlo simulation methods helped him build models that improve the accuracy of dose distribution, supporting doctors in making scientific clinical treatment decisions.

An Integration Mindset and the Aspiration to Return to Contribute
  A bachelor's degree in PH3 at Hanoi University of Science and Technology, along with impressive achievements, opened international opportunities for Mr. Vinh. He previously received the Japanese JINED scholarship and completed intensive training courses on nuclear power plant technology in collaboration with VINATOM. Being selected for the "Creating Source of Lecturers for Hanoi University of Science and Technology in the 2023 - 2030 Period" Scheme is a long-term commitment between him and the University, which has maximally supported his advanced studies abroad.

Recently, Mr. Vinh passed rigorous interview rounds to win a scholarship for outstanding international students at Yonsei. For him, the greatest "reward" of someone pursuing the Medical Physics - PH3 major lies in the humane value when the artificial intelligence models or the lines of code he writes directly reduce patients' pain, helping them have a better quality of life.
  Currently, at Prof. Chulhee Min's laboratory, Yonsei University, he continues to affirm his capacity through research projects on radiation science: Combining data-driven modeling with physical simulation to enhance system performance and treatment accuracy; building AI algorithms for image segmentation and radiomics analysis to evaluate pathological functions; and applying Monte Carlo simulation in researching biological radiation effects. Persistence and independent thinking help him adapt quickly to a professional and competitive international research environment.

Diligently researching, the HUST scientist still nurtures the aspiration to return to stand on the podium of the Faculty of Engineering Physics, continuing the fire-passing mission of the preceding teachers. The HUST environment has forged the current Pham Quang Vinh with a synthesis of iron discipline, mutual support, and social responsibility - the image of a generation of young HUSTers who are diligently contributing to human life.