A group of three local female scientists have been named among a list consisting of the 100 most outstanding researchers of the year, as compiled by the magazine Asian Scientist of Singapore.

The recognition of the trio comes after they received the 2019 L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science National Fellowship, an award which honours the excellence of women who are on the cutting edge of scientific research.

One of the group is Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ho Thi Thanh Van who is currently working at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Natural Resources and Environment.

The magazine ranked her at 23rd among 100 of the most outstanding researchers throughout all of Asia in terms of materials science. Dr. Van won praise for synthesising novel nanomaterials which can enhance the efficiency of fuel cells.

The second Vietnamese scientist to make the list is Dr. Tran Thi Hong Hanh, a researcher working at the Vietnam Academy for Science and Technology who is ranked in 32nd position in terms of the rankings.

In the life sciences category, Dr. Hanh has been hailed for her research on the use of finger chromatography as a means of assessing the quality of medicinal herbs sold commercially throughout the nation.

The final Vietnamese female scientist to make the list is Dr. Pham Thi Thu Ha in the agriculture category.

Coming in at 87th position in the Top 100, she currently works at Ton Duc Thang University.

Her research is renowned for utilising molecular markers as a means of developing high-yielding salt-tolerant rice varieties in affected areas throughout the Mekong Delta.

This marks the fourth consecutive year that Singapore’s Asian Scientist magazine has announced a list of the continent’s leading scientists, commemorating their research and contribution to science.

This year’s leading three researchers are Dr. Akira Chiba of the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan, Dr. Dishant Mayurbhai Pancholi of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences in India, and Dr. Yang Tong of the City University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong (China).