Thien Duc Hua, AFHEA

Mr. Thien Hua is pursuing a PhD degree at School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering & Computer Science, Queen’s University Belfast (QUB). As a research student at the Centre for Wireless Innovation (CWI), he works under the supervision of Professor Michail Matthaiou, Professor Hien Quoc Ngo, and Dr. Mohammad Mohammadi. He serves as a reviewer for numerous prestigious journals including IEEE TWC, IEEE TCOM, etc. His research interests include deep reinforcement learning, optimization, reconfigurable antenna designs, and wireless communication.

Links

Email: dhua01@qub.ac.uk
Google Scholar: Profile
ORCID: Profile
Pure QUB: Profile
Reseach Gate: Profile
Web of Science: Profile

Education

Ph.D. Candidate in Wireless Communications
📍 Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, U.K.
📅 August 2023 – Present
Research Area: Cell-free massive MIMO SWIPT, Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces, Deep Reinforcement Learning and Optimization Techniques
Supervisors: Prof. Michalis Matthaiou, Prof. Hien Quoc Ngo, and Dr. Mohammad Mohammadi

Master of Engineering - Major in Big Data
📍 Chung-Ang University, Seoul, South Korea
📅 March 2021 – February 2023
Thesis Title: Intelligent Reflecting Surface-assisted Uplink Rate Splitting Multiple Access Networks
Supervisors: Prof. Sungrae Cho and Dr. Nhu-Ngoc Dao
GPA: 4.45/4.5

Bachelor of Electrical and Electronics Engineering
📍 Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education, Vietnam
📅 September 2015 – April 2020
Thesis Title: Electricity Usage Power Monitor in the Cloud.
Supervisor: Dr. Trong Nghia Le
Graduation thesis: 8.0/10

Research Experience

Research Student
📍 Centre for Wireless Innovation, Belfast, Northern Ireland, U.K.
📅 August 2023 – Current
Managers: Prof. Michalis Matthaiou and Prof. Hien Ngo
Project(s):

• Reflecting Intelligent Surfaces for Near-field Energy Transfer (R6664ECS)
  • Funded by: European Research Council (ERC)

Research Student
📍 Ultra-Intelligent Computing/Communication Lab, Seoul, South Korea
📅 March 2021 – February 2023
Manager: Prof. Sungrae Cho
Project(s):

• End-to-End Ultra-Communication and Networking Technologies (NRF-2017R1A2B4009802)
  • Funded by: Institute for Information and Communication Technology (IITP)
• Connected Mobility Basic Research Laboratory (R20XO02-15)
  • Funded by: National Research Foundation (NRF)

Undergraduate Research Assistant
📍 Power System Lab, GE-UTE room, University of Technology and Education, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
📅 January 2020 – January 2021
Manager: Dr. Trong Nghia Le
Research Topic: Optimization for Power Grid Load Shedding

Achievements, awards, and scholarships

• Special Research Scholarship - European Reseach Council (ERC)
  Queen’s University Belfast (2023 - 2026)

• School Postgraduate Research Committee (SPRC) Paper Award
  School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Queen’s University Belfast (2025)

• Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA)
  The Higher Education Academy (2025)

• 2025 Best Vietnamese Student Society in Northern Ireland
  Association of Vietnamese Student in the United Kingdom (SVUK) (2025)

• Chung-Ang University Young Scientist Scholarship (CAYSS)
  Chung-Ang University (2021 - 2023)

• Brain Korea 21 Awards (BK21)
  Korean Government BK21Four Program (2022, 2023)

Media

• ``Born in Peace: A Young Vietnamese’s Gratitude for Reunification” - (Thanh Niên Newspaper).
• ``2025 Hung Kings’ Commemoration Day at Queen’s University Belfast” - (Tuổi Trẻ Newspaper).

“To err is human; to persist in error is diabolical.”
— Saint Augustine