Oxford graduate, twice valedictorian in England

From a student who often skipped classes and only started learning English at the age of 20, Cong Son graduated with a PhD from Oxford and participated in the world's most modern MRI machine project.

Chu Cong Son, 34, graduated with a PhD from Oxford University (UK) - the world's number 1 university, in 2020. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, and is also a project manager at MR CoilTech, a company specializing in manufacturing RF coils for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines. Previously, he was the valedictorian of the undergraduate and master's degrees at Sheffield Hallam University, UK.

In mid-May, Mr. Son participated in several events celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the UK. The Hanoi boy had the opportunity to tell his story for the first time, from a student who skipped classes many times to the only Vietnamese student in the more than 250-year history of Harris Manchester, part of Oxford University.

"The road to Oxford was not easy, but 'other people's children' are definitely not me," Son said. "Life is full of surprises, and I give myself the chance to dream big."

Dr. Chu Cong Son currently lives and works in the UK. Photo: Provided by the character

Cong Son is a former student of Chu Van An High School, Hanoi, class of 2005-2008. Passionate about basketball, a member of the Hanoi team participating in the Phu Dong Sports Festival 2008, the 15-year-old student often skipped classes and was more mischievous than studying.

For his bachelor's degree, Son chose Electrical and Electronic Engineering, studying for three years at the University of Transport and Communications, then transferring to Sheffield Hallam University for the remaining two years. A year before moving to England, Son could barely speak a few sentences of English and had just started learning the language.

Away from his family for the first time, in a competitive environment, the Hanoi boy gradually realized that he had to stand out from others to develop. He devoted all his time to studying.

"When I focused on studying, I realized that I had abilities that I hadn't realized before. In high school, I could watch TV, listen to music, and memorize four pages of paper in 15 minutes thanks to my good memory," Son said. "I decided to use my learning ability to compete with others."

After graduating with top marks in both his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Sheffield Hallam University, Son applied to study for a PhD at Oxford University. He said he was used to the British environment and thought he had nothing to lose by applying to the world’s number one university.

"I stepped out of my comfort zone, trusted and challenged myself with the Oxford choice, and succeeded," Mr. Son recalled.

Becoming the only Vietnamese student at Harris Manchester, the 1990-born boy was shocked from the beginning. Son said that professors often did not teach basic knowledge, only mentioned subjects or fields, and students had to find and read for themselves.

Pursuing research on the application of metamaterials to information transmission in conductive media, Son had to retake the Electromagnetic Waves course from scratch. He searched for undergraduate classes in Oxford that were teaching the subject and listened to it from beginning to end.

"This is the subject that I struggled with the most. But thanks to that, I improved my ability to study and conduct independent research," Son said. During his time here, he had 6 scientific articles published in journals and 11 articles published at conferences.

Living in Oxford also gave Son a rich life experience. During his social interactions, he was impressed by his friends from the nobility, from the way they used knives and forks to their style of speaking, telling about themselves in a moderate way but still exuding a difference.

"I have changed my outlook on life a lot. I am not self-conscious about my background or what I have, but I understand that I have to look at their good points to learn and develop, to become more perfect," he said.

Mr. Son in the research room. Photo: Character provided

After defending his doctoral thesis in 2020, Son went to the University of Glasgow, Scotland, to continue his research. Here, he shifted to the field of medical devices, and had his "proudest ever" achievement.

Son said that currently, MRI machines used for humans are mainly the type that use magnetic fields of 1.5-3 Tesla. The machine with the strongest magnetic field to date is only one, made in France over 20 years with a magnetic field of 11.7 Tesla. Participating in the project to develop the 11.7 Tesla MRI machine, his task is to manufacture an RF coil used for brain imaging compatible with this machine.

Son groped his way through each step. Not only did he have to ensure efficiency, he also had to adhere to the principles of product size, weight, and design, because this device was used in the medical field with many medical standards. He spent two years working day and night in the research lab, thinking about giving up many times, before the first coil was formed.

"I was happy to know that the coil worked well during the test run," said Mr. Son.

He explained that a 1.5-3 Tesla MRI machine can detect common diseases, but at 11.7 Tesla, the pixel size is reduced to 0.2 mm, the machine can capture all the smallest capillaries in the brain. This helps scientists understand more about the brain's neural structure, thereby developing treatment solutions. His research was published and printed on the cover of the medical journal Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Nearly a year later, in September 2023, he completed the second coil, overcoming some of the structural and performance limitations, increasing signal strength, and reducing contamination.

With this result, Son received a research invitation from the University of Nottingham, UK - which is also developing an 11.7 Tesla MRI machine.

Having known Son for 10 years, Master Vu Do Khanh, a former student of Oxford, said that his impression of his senior from the first day until now has not changed. To Khanh, Cong Son is an enthusiastic, persistent, determined and ambitious person, although he does not often show it.

"Mr. Son often jokes that he was very poor in the past, but I don't think so. Before entering Oxford, he may not have been a typical elite model, but his leadership qualities and academic abilities had already appeared. At important moments, he always had great goals and determination to achieve what he set out to do," Khanh shared.

Dr. Chu Cong Son's research on the cover of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine magazine, August 2023 issue. Screenshot

In addition to research, Son and Le Quoc Minh, a former classmate at Oxford, support students in finding opportunities to enter prestigious universities and multinational companies. He believes that Oxford and the world's leading universities and companies are full of challenges, but they are not closed doors. He wants to share his experiences and lessons, hoping to help many young people reach out to the world.

"The best thing I've gotten from this journey is not only being a student at the world's top university, but also feeling present in the flow of human knowledge," he said.