My name is Nguyen Van Phuong. Currently, I am a PhD student at
University of Vienna under the supervision of
Assoc. Prof. Priv. Doz. Dr. Anna Weinzinger. My research focuses on lipid modulation of membrane proteins
and strategies to target these proteins using an integrated
approach that combines molecular dynamics simulations with AI/ML
workflows. I believe that interesting discoveries will happen when
we combine knowledge from various areas. Therefore, I'm really
excited in interdisciplinary environments where chemistry and
biology meets data science. It's fascinating to see how computer
science, chemistry, biology, and other fields can work together to
tackle challenging questions in drug discovery and development.
When I'm not working on research, I love getting lost in good
novels and movies. Some of my favorites books are
Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin,
The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin and
The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh. In cinema, I find myself
drawn to movies like The Whale (2022),
Before Triology (1995-2013) and
The Social Network (2010).
Using molecular dynamics simulations to investigate how lipid environments shape protein structure, dynamics, and function, with the ultimate aim of enabling more selective and effective drug discovery strategies targeting these proteins.
Using advanced architectures, such as LLMs, VAEs, and GFlowNets to navigate vast chemical spaces for virtual screening, de novo design and lead optimization, as well as enhance the predictive accuracy of classical QSAR and molecular docking.
Using machine learning to streamline complex laboratory workflows in chemistry, such as multi-step retrosynthesis planning, proposing reaction mechanisms, suggesting HPLC gradient program and structure elucidation from spectral data.