Thien Duc Hua, PhD, AFHEA (UK)

Dr. Thien Duc Hua completed his PhD at the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Queen’s University Belfast (QUB). He conducted research at the Centre for Wireless Innovation (CWI) under the supervision of Professor Michail Matthaiou, Professor Hien Quoc Ngo, and Dr. Mohammad Mohammadi. His core research investigates deep reinforcement learning, MIMO systems, and wireless communications. He serves as a TPC member and Workshop Chair at flagship IEEE ComSoc conferences, including IEEE GLOBECOM and IEEE ICC. He also serves as a peer reviewer for leading IEEE ComSoc publications, such as IEEE TWC and IEEE TCOM.

Links

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

Education

PhD in Wireless Communications
📍 Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, U.K.
📅 August 2023 – October 2026
Thesis Title: Next-Generation SWIPT Networks: Reconfigurable Architectures and Intelligent Optimization
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 – Nov 2026
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 Research Council (2023 - 2026)

• Best Paper Award
  The 2nd International Conference on Intelligent Aerial Access and Applications (IAAA 2026)

• School Postgraduate Research Committee (SPRC) Paper Awards
  School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Queen’s University Belfast (2025 and 2026)

• 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