Hanoi University of Science and Technology Partners with VinFuture: "Rising Together - Thriving Together"

 This morning (December 4), Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST), in coordination with the VinFuture Foundation, organized the scientific seminar "Innovation and Organic Semiconductors." The event gathered two of the world's leading distinguished speakers: Prof. Sir Richard Henry Friend – Professor of Physics at the University of Cambridge (UK), Chair of the VinFuture Prize Council; and Dr. Jayshree Seth – Corporate Scientist at 3M (USA), member of the VinFuture Prize Pre-Screening Committee.

The seminar was held within the framework of the VinFuture Science and Technology Week, taking place from December 2 to 6, 2025, in Hanoi under the theme "Rising Together - Thriving Together."
In his opening remarks, Assoc. Prof. Huynh Dang Chinh – Vice President of Hanoi University of Science and Technology – affirmed the significance of the event for the scientific community and the innovation ecosystem of HUST in particular, and Vietnam in general.

Assoc. Prof. Huynh Dang Chinh emphasized the shared belief that the seminar aims for: Science and innovation have the power to change lives and shape a better future for humanity. Through the seminar, Hanoi University of Science and Technology hopes to inspire new ambitions in students and open up cooperation opportunities for HUST scientists with domestic and international partners.
  From Organic Semiconductors to the Global OLED Revolution

Prof. Sir Richard Friend is one of the most influential scholars in the field of organic electronics and organic semiconductors, as well as an outstanding innovator with over 140 patents and more than 1,100 scientific publications, accumulating over 230,000 citations.

Prof. Sir Richard Friend brought to the seminar a presentation titled "Organic Semiconductors – From OLED Displays to New Applications," taking the audience on a scientific journey revolving around the development of OLED—the display technology that has been changing how humans interact with electronic devices.

From basic characteristics such as operating principles and OLED development processes to the properties of related semiconductors and various light-emitting diodes... Prof. Sir Richard Friend also provided profound insights into the effective operation of field-effect transistors and LEDs based on organic polymers—one of the pioneering studies conducted by him and his colleagues since the 1990s.
  Prof. Sir Richard Friend and his research group developed polymer processing techniques for conjugated polymers and clarified non-linear electronic excitations through electrical and optical measurements. He made his mark in the scientific community as the first person to create Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors (MOSFETs) using the organic polymer compound polyacetylene as the semiconductor, effectively demonstrating the operating mechanism of this special device.

The success of the research contributed to the commercialization of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology, best known for OLED TV screens.

The profound sharing from Prof. Sir Richard Friend helped listeners better understand the significance of a scientific journey rooted in persistent discovery and the aspiration to bring useful technologies to human life.

For his outstanding contributions to science, Prof. Sir Richard Friend was elected a Fellow of The Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) in 2002, a Fellow of The Royal Society of London (FRS) in 1993, and received many prestigious medals and awards such as: the IEE Faraday Medal in 2003; the Institute of Physics Katharine Burr Blodgett Medal and Prize with Dr. David Ffye in 2009; the Harvey Prize from the Technion in Israel in 2011; and the Millennium Technology Prize—the prestigious prize for the development of plastic electronics—in 2010.

He was knighted by the British Royal Family to honor his "services to Physics."

Innovation for Humanity

If Prof. Friend's lecture leaned towards the depth of materials science, Dr. Jayshree Seth opened up a different perspective on innovation through her sharing "The Pursuit of Innovation: Science, Society & Sentimentality."

Based on the results of the 3M State of Science Index survey, Dr. Jayshree Seth shared an interesting reality: although the vast majority of people believe science brings hope, there are still many who are skeptical or believe that science is irrelevant to daily life. According to Dr. Jayshree Seth, this is a reminder that the scientific community needs to do better at connecting, storytelling, and helping the public see science present in every aspect of life.
  Dr. Jayshree Seth also raised her perspective on stereotypes in science, such as "STEM is not for women"; if this prejudice is not removed, society will lose future talents.

One of the highlights of Dr. Jayshree Seth's sharing was the philosophy of innovation she has distilled over more than three decades of doing science at 3M Corporation: Innovation is a continuous journey requiring curiosity, the ability to ask questions, understanding context, and persistence in pursuing goals. Dr. Jayshree Seth concluded that in an era of volatility, innovation is the "lifeline" of businesses, inspiration is the "life source" of innovation, and purpose is the "fulcrum" that keeps that inspiration from ever extinguishing.

Dr. Jayshree Seth's presentation not only provided information but also spread positive energy and a spirit of dedication, especially to young people pursuing science and technology.
  Closing the seminar, the two VinFuture scientists joined three scientists from Hanoi University of Science and Technology—Prof. Chu Manh Hoang, Dr. Nguyen Trung Dung, and Dr. Nguyen Vu Thang—in an open dialogue session with HUST students. They shared more professional perspectives on materials science and spread a strong spirit to the next generation.