Nghia N.‑H.

Meet ASPIRE trainee Nghia N.-H.

Nghia’s passion for optics and nanotechnology has taken him all over the world.

After studying engineering in his native Vietnam, Nghia moved to Spain and later France to undertake a Master of Mechanical Engineering. And following the completion of his master’s in 2006, he finished his PhD in nanotechnology at National Cheng Kung University, in Taiwan.  

Now Nghia’s studies have taken him to Halifax, on Canada’s east coast – where his post-doctorate studies are supported by funding from the Dalhousie University-based Applied Science in Photonics and Innovative Research in Engineering (ASPIRE) program.  

Here, he’s building on his award-winning research by investigating extraordinary optical enhancement underlying many types of nanoplasmonic structures.

Explains Nghia: “My general major is nanoscale energy transport or, to be specific, nanoplasmonics.”

“I’m drawn to this area because I’m deeply interested in the physic origins underlying nanostructures – and how this can be applied to the design of optoelectronic devices,” says Nghia, who has presented at several conferences on both sides of the Pacific and who has co-authored and reviewed articles in Optics Express, Applied Optics, IEEE Photonics Journal among others.

Nghia joined ASPIRE at the very start of 2013, soon after completing his PhD. He was drawn to the program because of the good fit it offered with his interest in nanoplasmonic study for applications of optoelectronic devices, he explains.

“Collaborating with the faculty of the ASPIRE program having the expertise in nanotechnology and with fellow trainees leads to a lot of great ideas. And working with them also helps solve a lot of challenges,” Nghia believes.

Says Nghia: “I was equipped with high-speed computers for my research – and I hope that, after design simulation, I’m able to fabricate nanodevices here.”

Depending on how his first year goes, ASPIRE may offer Nghia a second year of financial support. After that, he expects to find a job either in industry or teaching at university level.

“In the mean time, I love Halifax because everyone here is friendly and helpful,” he says.