Thanh Trung Nguyen, Ph.D.

Current position & contact address: Associate Professor of Applied Mathematics Department of Mathematics Rowan University 201 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA Tel: 856-256-4500, extension 53858 nguyent(at)rowan.edu

Links: - My CV & publications - My publications on Google Scholar - My publications on MathSciNet (In most publications, my name is written as Nguyen Trung Thanh)

Research Interests:

My main mathematical research interest is in the field of inverse problems. A description and applications of inverse problems can be found on Wikipedia here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverse_problem. Beside inverse problems, I am also interested in several other areas of computational and applied mathematics, including partial differential equations, optimization, numerical analysis, modeling & simulation, and machine learning. My research includes mathematical and computational investigations, as well as engineering issues such as data processing, model validation and testing inverse methods for real experimental data.

I am particularly interested in real-world applications. Examples of real-world problems I have been working on are:

- Subsurface detection and imaging using infrared thermography, ground penetrating radar, or electromagnetic induction (eddy current)

- Through-wall imaging using radar

- Water quality modeling and detection of pollution sources

- Smart farming using artificial intelligence and autonomous drones.

Education:

I received a Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in  2007 under the supervision of Professor Hichem Sahli and Professor Dinh Nho Hao. In my PhD dissertation entitled Infrared thermography for the detection and characterization of buried objects, I investigated the mathematical modeling and inverse problems arising in the problem of detection and identification of buried objects from infrared images.

Before that, I received my BS and MS in Mathematics from Vietnam National University, Hanoi in 2002 and 2003, respectively, under the supervision of Professor Minh Nguyen. My BS and MS theses were on differential equations. My first research paper published in the Journal of Mathematical Analysis and Applications was written during this time.  

Work History:

During my Ph.D. study at VUB, I worked as a Research Assistant for the grant Concept for Low-risk Efficient Area Reduction Based on the Fusion of Advanced Sensor Technologies funded by the European Commission.    

After obtaining the Ph.D. degree, I worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Electronics & Informatics at the VUB from 9/2007 to 9/2008, where I led a research group working on radar signal processing and imaging methods for through-wall detection and tracking. This position was supported by the European Commission under the grant Ultra wide band radio application for localization of hidden people and detection of unauthorized objects.  

From 11/2008 - 4/2012, I joined the Inverse Problem group at Johann Radon Institute for Computational and Applied Mathematics of Austrian Academy of Sciences as a Research Scientist. There, I worked on theoretical and numerical aspects of inverse scattering theory. My collaborative works with Mourad Sini were partly funded by a grant from Austrian Science Foundation.  

I moved to the Department of Mathematics & Statistics at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in May 2012 and worked for a US Army Research Office grant on globally convergent numerical methods for the wave equation with applications in the detection of explosives. The grant was led by Michael Klibanov from the Math Department and Michael Fiddy from Physics Department.

I was with the Department of Mathematics, Iowa State University from 2014 till 2017. There, I continued my research on inverse scattering problems and teach mathematical courses. I also collaborated with Paul Sacks from the Math Department and John Bowler from the Nondestructive Testing Center on an inverse problem in nondestructive testing of metal materials using alternating current potential drop measurements.

I moved to Rowan University in 2017, where I am enjoying teaching and continuing my research.

Grants:

1. (PI) LEAPS-MPS: Splitting all-at-once approach to inverse medium scattering problems, funded by the NSF, Sep 2023 - Aug 2025 (supported amount: $212,933).

2. (Co-PI, PI: Cheng Zhu) Development of the Beta Version of iFROST MAPPER, funded by the Cold Regions Research & Engineering Lab, US. Army Corps of Engineers, May 2023 - April 2025, (one of 9 projects in a total support of $30 million).

3. (Co-PI, PI: Hieu Nguyen) Mitigating Blueberry Scorch Virus using Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Drones, funded by the NJ Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, Oct 2022 - Sep 2024, (supported amount: $39,316).

4. (PI) CURM Minigrant Proposal, supported by the NSF through the Center for Undergraduate Research in Mathematics, September 2022 - May 2023 (supported amount: $18,900).

5. (Senior Member): Forecasting Air and Water Pollution in Vietnam with Real Data by Machine Learning and Inverse Problem Approaches. Supported by Innovation Foundation of Vingroup Big Data Institute (Vietnam), Nov 2020 - Oct 2024 (supported amount: $300,000).

6. (Cohost) PIC Math (Preparation for Industrial Careers in Mathematical Sciences), MAA & SIAM program funded by NSF and NSA, 2019 - 2020 (supported amount: $1000).

7. (Cohost) PIC Math (Preparation for Industrial Careers in Mathematical Sciences), MAA & SIAM program funded by NSF and NSA, 2018 - 2019 (supported amount: $6000).