​Nhu-Tarnawska Hoa Kim Ngan was recently appointed professor title by Polish President Andrzej Duda, making her the first Vietnamese-born female scientist in Poland and the fifth Vietnamese-born scientist honored with this title.

On June 10, 2024, at the Polish President's Palace, a solemn ceremony was held to confer the title of National Professor. According to tradition, the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda (Doctor of Law), hand-delivers the decision he signed to the appointed scientists. A great honor for Vietnamese scientists and the community in Poland is that in this academic title conferment there is a scientist of Vietnamese origin, Ms. Nhu-Tarnawska Hoa Kim Ngan. Ms. Kim Ngan is the first Vietnamese-born female scientist and the fifth Vietnamese-born scientist in Poland to receive this honor.

National Professor Nhu-Tarnawska Hoa Kim Ngan and Polish President Andrzej Duda. Photo posted on the President's website.

Ms. Kim Ngan graduated in physics from Hanoi General University, now the University of Natural Sciences, Hanoi National University. After graduating from university, she began her scientific career at the low-temperature physics laboratory, Department of Physics of the university. She then participated in research at the Natuurkundig Laboratorium Institute, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. She was the first Vietnamese person to successfully defend her PhD thesis in Amsterdam in 1993, in Physics and Astronomy. In 2004, she earned a Doctor of Science degree in Physics in Krakow.

Her scientific and teaching career is closely associated with the pedagogical university in Krakow (currently the University of the National Education Commission, Krakow). She is the first female national professor of physics in the school's entire nearly 80-year history.  She has published nearly 150 scientific articles in prestigious ISI/Scopus journals, published a thematic book (in Polish) and a book on the history of the discovery of the nuclear fission effect (in English, translated into Swedish and Japanese).

She specializes in Materials Science and Nanostructures. She built a Nano structures laboratory with funding from the European Council in the development and innovation program of Krakow Pedagogical School, for students and graduate students to become familiar with this new major.

In addition to scientific research, she participates in annual lectures for students and graduate students, in Polish and English. Four PhD students and nearly 30 masters have successfully defended their theses under her guidance. She is also an experienced organizer, having organized and chaired many in-depth international scientific conferences. She participated and presented in more than 60 international conferences including the role of invited speaker for 10 conferences. She collaborates on scientific research with many research institutes in Czechoslovakia, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Sweden and Japan. She chaired 4 international research projects and organized and chaired 7 international symposiums.

She is the former Vice President of the Scientific Council of Physics and the Chair of the PhD student training program in Physics at Krakow University of Pedagogy. She has repeatedly won the Rector's Award for scientific research achievements, and the Medal of the National Education Committee, Polish Ministry of Education for her teaching achievements. She has a close scientific cooperation relationship and is responsible for the bilateral cooperation signed between Krakow University of Education and the Institute of Physics and Institute of Materials Science, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology in Hanoi. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the Vietnamese Science and Technology Association in Poland, actively participates in the association's activities, especially organizing annual scientific conferences for Vietnamese students in Poland. In addition, she is very passionate about skiing and has won many prizes in competitions organized by universities. She is an example of passion for dedication to science and training young generations for the future.

Sharing after receiving this honor, Professor Kim Ngan said: " I am proud to be Vietnamese. Setting up a business abroad always has to overcome not only subjective difficulties but also many objective difficulties (much more difficult than those living in the host country. So any success of Vietnamese people in general, especially of Vietnamese scientists in particular, are proof of the hard work, diligence and progress of our Vietnamese people. I am proud to be ''standing in this line'' (the Vietnamese – born scientists starting a career abroad).