9X PhD returns home to create AI to "detect" security vulnerabilities

Dr. Nguyen Van Son (born in 1993), is currently a lecturer at the Faculty of Information Technology, University of Technology (Vietnam National University, Hanoi ). Refusing attractive job opportunities in the US, Dr. Nguyen Van Son chose to return to Vietnam with a series of AI projects, including a solution to detect security vulnerabilities with outstanding accuracy, demonstrating his aspiration to elevate the country's technological position.

Dr. Nguyen Van Son (born in 1993), lecturer at the Faculty of Information Technology, University of Technology (Vietnam National University, Hanoi). Photo: UET.

DoiT – a launching pad from the lecture hall to the international intellectual playground

Dr. Nguyen Van Son's research path was shaped quite early. Right from his third year of university, Nguyen Van Son left his mark when he and his research team developed the DoiT system, a tool for checking spelling errors and detecting duplicate text in Vietnamese. DoiT supports processing documents in popular formats such as .doc, .docx, .pdf, .ppt... Not only pointing out spelling errors, the system also suggests correct replacement words; in particular, the duplicate detection feature is important in preventing copying of documents such as theses, dissertations, and projects.

The group of authors received the Vietnam Talent Award. Photo: UET.

The success of DoiT brought home the Second Prize of the Vietnam Talent Award and was widely applied ineducational institutions and research institutes in the country. This project also helped Dr. Son own a national patent – a solid start for a long-term scientific research journey.

The experiences from developing DoiT have become a strong catalyst, adding motivation for Nguyen Van Son to steadfastly pursue the path of academics and innovation.

In 2017, Son received a research scholarship at the University of Texas (Dallas, USA). This is one of the leading training and research institutions in software engineering and artificial intelligence. Under the guidance of leading professors such as Professor I-ling Yen, Professor Farokh Bastani and Professor Nguyen Nhut Tien, Dr. Son began to turn to AI and software research - a field that is exploding globally.

CodeJIT – Vietnamese AI weapon for global cyber security battle

Studying in the US was not easy. He shared: "The sleepless nights writing papers or the times my work was rejected helped me grow up a lot." It was those pressures and challenges that forged a brave scientist , ready to face difficult problems.

Dr. Nguyen Van Son's work was honored with the Golden Globe. Photo: UET.

Right from his second year in the US, Dr. Nguyen Van Son made a clear decision: he would return to Vietnam to contribute after graduation. To prepare for this return, he proactively collaborated on remote research with domestic scientists and Vietnamese graduate students abroad, gradually building a solid scientific network.

In 2022, Dr. Nguyen Van Son officially returned to work in Vietnam. With the support of Associate Professor, Dr. Vo Dinh Hieu, Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Ngoc Hung and the leaders of the Faculty of Information Technology, University of Technology, his research group quickly caught up and achieved remarkable results.

In just two years, the group has published more than 10 scientific papers, including 7 published in the most prestigious international journals in the Q1 group and in leading conferences ranked A*. These are telling numbers, affirming the group's top-notch research quality.

One of his most high-profile projects upon his return was CodeJIT – a machine learning approach to detecting security vulnerabilities early in the software development process. In a world where cybersecurity is a matter of survival, early detection of vulnerabilities helps reduce risks and save huge repair costs.

Experiments show that CodeJIT achieves up to 90% accuracy, nearly twice as high as other advanced methods that do not focus on source code. This solution has the potential for wide application, especially meaningful for organizations in the fields of cybersecurity, healthcare, finance, where strict security is required. Software companies can also integrate CodeJIT into their processes to improve product quality.

“This is a work that I am particularly proud of, not only laying the foundation for many of the research team's next security projects but also contributing to improving the quality of the software,” said Dr. Son.

The Returnee's Mission

After graduating with a PhD, Dr. Nguyen Van Son gave up the opportunity to work for universities and large technology companies in the US and decided to return home . Dr. Nguyen Van Son's decision to return home came from a deep belief. "I believe that my contributions will be most powerful when I contribute to my roots, where I was born, raised and trained," he shared.

Dr. Nguyen Van Son talks with students of the Faculty of Information Technology (University of Technology, VNU Hanoi). Photo: UET.

For him, returning is not only about doing research but also carrying a mission. He wants to pass on the most advanced knowledge he has learned to the younger generation, the future AI talents of the country. He sees himself as a companion rather than a leader.

“I want to create an environment where young people can maximize their potential, create together and build useful technological solutions for society. This is what gives me the strength to constantly strive, overcome difficulties, and conquer new heights of knowledge,” he said.

Dr. Son's upcoming goal is to continue developing two main research directions: automated software engineering and data-centric automated AI engineering. He wants to contribute to improving productivity, software quality and, more importantly, promoting the application of AI in life.

“I hope to promote the application of AI in life, helping many people access AI solutions, especially those who do not have many opportunities and conditions to access this technology,” the 2024 Golden Globe winner affirmed.

The journey of Dr. Nguyen Van Son is a testament to the fact that young Vietnamese intellectuals, after being trained in top-notch environments, are increasingly choosing to return home to directly contribute to the development of their homeland and country.

Dr. Nguyen Van Son has an impressive list of achievements: Golden Globe Award 2024; 1 national patent; 7 scientific articles published in the most prestigious international scientific journals in the Q1 category; 9 articles published in international scientific conferences Q1 and Q2 (ranked A*/A). In particular, the product Document Quality Improvement Support System - DoiT, implemented since the 3rd year of university, helped Dr. Son and his research team win the Second Prize of the Vietnam Talent Award, which is widely applied in the country.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/tien-si-9x-ve-nuoc-tao-ai-soi-lo-hong-bao-mat-post1553819.html