Tran Vuong Mai Khanh (born 2003) started playing chess at age of six when she and her father passed a chess class. Intrigued, her father let her try, and she quickly excelled. Soon after, she competed in her first tournament and won a medal.

Khanh has amassed hundreds of medals in national and international competitions, notably a Silver Medal at the 2011 World Youth Chess Championship U8.

Yet, as a promising chess player, Khanh chose to scale back on chess to prioritize her academic studies.

“At that time, I thought academics should be put on top priority, and chess was just for passion. But chess honed my strategic thinking, discipline, and resilience, the foundations for my research path,” Khanh said.

From young chess player to chemistry student

In high school, Khanh gained admission to the literature-specialized class at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted in HCM City. Despite this, she had a particular love for chemistry. With a father who was a chemical engineer, Khanh grew up hearing about real-world chemistry issues and was encouraged to explore research topics of interest.

In grade 11, she undertook a project using propolis and green tea extract to replace plastic food wrap, aiming to reduce plastic waste. She visited beekeeping farms to collect propolis and tested its antibacterial properties at the University of Science’s labs.

The project won an encouragement award at her school’s science research competition, becoming a turning point that solidified her commitment to chemistry.

Khanh passed the entrance exams to the Chemical Engineering program at HCM City University of Technology, part of a joint program with the University of Adelaide, Australia. She studied two years in Vietnam and two years in Australia.

“At university, my peers had stronger chemistry foundations. To keep up, I had to self-study extensively to fill my knowledge gaps,” Khanh recalled.

The toughest period was her transition to studying in Australia. The first semester there started in February, while Vietnam’s began in September, leaving her feeling “behind” her peers.

“To catch up, on non-class days, I’d study in the library for 10 hours straight until 10 Prime Minister,” Khanh said.

Her efforts paid off, and after the first semester, things fell into place. She then began research, joining a university lab and working on specific projects.

In 2023, Khanh joined a project on developing large-scale zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) for solar energy systems and wearable devices. After completing it, she spent eight months on another project designing a recycling process for lithium-ion batteries from mobile electronics.

Before graduating, she finished a project on recovering metals from used electric vehicle batteries using environmentally friendly hydrometallurgical methods.

This became her thesis project. “It was a new direction, so I had to research extensively, from synthesizing solvents to optimizing metal extraction conditions. The results showed high potential for further study and application,” Khanh said.

PhD scholarship 

During her research, Khanh realized her deep interest in recycling solar panels—a clean energy source that risks environmental pollution if not properly handled.

Recognizing the urgency and economic benefits of recycling solar panels to both reduce waste and recover resources, Khanh decided to pursue research on extracting and recovering valuable materials from expired solar panels using safe, low-cost solvents.

Thanks to her clear direction and early initiative, Khanh decided to continue his PhD studies right after completing his bachelor's degree. With a First Class Honours degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Adelaide, Khanh was eligible for admission to the PhD program.

He contacted a professor whose research aligned with hers and prepared a strong application with projects related to solar panel recycling.

On July 31, Khanh received confirmation of her admission to a PhD program with a full scholarship, including a 40,000 AUD annual stipend—the highest for international students—at the University of Adelaide, one of Australia’s top eight universities, renowned for research in materials, clean energy, and sustainability.

“I’m happy that my efforts were recognized. I never imagined I’d pursue research, but the more I do it, the more I know it’s my path,” Khanh said.

Moving forward, she aims to develop a practical solar panel recycling process that maximizes economic benefits and protects the environment.

Thuy Nga