Get to know our Net Zero Operations Research Assistant, Truong Dang. Originally from Vietnam, Truong has been part of the Net Zero Operations team at the NSC since 2019. Prior to joining, Truong received his honours degree in Information Systems from the School of Information and Communication Technology at Hanoi University of Science and Technology in 2018, where he was also awarded the Academic Excellence Award.
What is your research all about?
My research is about the application of biologically inspired techniques, more specifically evolutionary algorithms, for the design of deep learning and multi-layer systems. While there are efficient training procedures to help these systems learn the best parameters, many other details, such as the way they are connected, need to be found by trial and error. This is very time-consuming, hence many have been looking into biologically inspired techniques in order to help design deep learning and multi-layer systems automatically. My research involves applying these evolutionary algorithms to deep learning and multi-layer systems in various areas, such as medical image segmentation or image classification, and finding ways to make them run faster by making use of smaller models called surrogate models. As a Research Assistant, I am also working on various projects which are a collaboration between the university and other companies. These projects span from subsea oil and gas inspection and computer vision for industrial measurements to 3D point cloud operations.
What or who first sparked your interest in your research subject?
Dr Thanh Nguyen has been working on using evolutionary algorithms in ensemble learning. When I became his PhD student, we decided to start using biologically inspired techniques to help design deep learning and multi-layer systems automatically.
What impact is your research having outside of academia?
My research is helping academia and industry create new deep learning and multi-layer systems at a reasonable cost. Firstly, the results of my research have been published in a number of conferences, such as the IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation. Secondly, during my time on the SAIBOK project, by employing Ensemble Deep Learning algorithms and Computer Vision techniques, we helped automate subsea pipeline inspection while reducing costs and errors. Furthermore, my work for RubberAtkins Ltd, Aberdeen, as part of the AKT initiative funded by Innovate UK, under the supervision of Dr Thanh Nguyen, provided an application of computer vision techniques in the automatic measurement of industrial O-ring equipment. When it comes to healthcare, my participation in the Syscardio project in Mexico helped develop automatic systems to accurately detect and diagnose cardiovascular diseases using medical imaging data. Finally, my work on the Sabre Advanced 3D Systems project helped develop software for aligning point cloud data with colour and spatial information from 05 camera images with different angle views, resolving visual artefacts during overlay and resource usage while providing a cost-effective solution.
Are there any role models or mentors who have helped you along the way?
My big brother, who is a programmer for a Japanese company, was the source of inspiration for me to venture into computer science. For many years, he had been the breadwinner for the whole family, then I thought that I should also work in computer science. Dr Thanh Nguyen has also provided much advice throughout my research career.
What advice do you have for somebody embarking on a research career?
My advice is really simple - just keep trying! There are times when your research appears to be going nowhere, but you should not give up, instead keep on going!
Favourite thing about the NSC?
I like the NSC very much. The people here are friendly and open to discussion. The facilities and infrastructures are very modern, which helps a lot with my research. Overall, it is a good place to meet and share ideas with many interesting people from different backgrounds. Also, a special mention has to go to the coffee machine!
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I enjoy playing games, such as Age of Empires 2, although I’m not really good at it, and I do a lot of online reading. I also volunteer twice a month for a coffee shop at the Devana Parish Church on Fonthill Road.
