World’s top 1% scientist in engineering to teach, supervise research at Vietnam National University

The VNU-HCM appointed Saleh Mobayen and Stefan Fischer as visiting professors under its international talent attraction program last month.

According to the university, the two scholars will participate in postgraduate teaching, supervise doctoral candidates, co-author scientific publications, advise on curriculum development and help expand international academic cooperation at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and the University of Information Technology.

World’s top 1% scientist

Professor Saleh Mobayen is currently affiliated with the National Yunlin University of Science and Technology in Taiwan, where he specializes in control engineering.

He is ranked among the world’s top 1% researchers in engineering under the ESI-ISI system and is a Senior Member of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), one of the leading professional associations in electrical and electronic engineering.

Mobayen has published more than 400 scientific papers and recorded over 11,500 citations, with an h-index of 61 on Google Scholar. The h-index measures the productivity and citation impact of a scientist’s publications, and the 40 benchmark is already considered outstanding.

In the last three years alone, he has published 120 papers, including 27 so far in 2026.

He has also been listed among the world’s top 2% scientists in rankings compiled by Stanford University for six consecutive years from 2019 to 2024.

Since 2018, he has been recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher by Clarivate, placing him among the most influential researchers globally in engineering.

Beyond academic publishing, Mobayen has led more than 20 competitive research projects with total funding exceeding US$500,000. He also holds four patents and has received several honors in Taiwan, including the Research Excellence Award in 2023 and the Plum Blossom Award in 2024.

At VNU-HCM, he will join the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology in teaching and research activities focused on innovation and scientific collaboration.

Expert in distributed systems and IoT

Professor Stefan Fischer is a computer science professor at Germany’s University of Lübeck and director of the Institute of Telematics, a research center specializing in computer networks and distributed systems.

Professor Stefan Fischer. Photo courtesy of VNU-HCM

He has authored or co-authored 35 international books and book chapters, in addition to 228 scientific publications, and has participated in hundreds of academic conferences organized by leading institutions such as IEEE and Association for Computing Machinery.

From 2016 to 2024, Fischer served as vice president for knowledge and technology transfer at the University of Lübeck, where he helped promote the commercialization of research and strengthen cooperation between universities, industry, government agencies and research institutes.

His research expertise includes distributed systems, the Internet of Things, distributed artificial intelligence, smart cities, biomedical technologies and smart healthcare. He is also recognized for his work in higher education quality assurance in Europe, particularly within the ASIIN accreditation framework.

At VNU-HCM, Fischer will contribute to teaching and research activities at the University of Information Technology, with a focus on digital technologies and international collaboration.

Both professors are expected to begin working at VNU-HCM later this year.

The University of Information Technology announced on its website and Facebook that Professor Fischer is paying it a visit from May 9-16.

International talent recruitment push

VNU-HCM launched its visiting professor program in early 2025 with the goal of attracting 100 international professors between 2025 and 2030. So far, the university has invited 62 scientists and experts from leading universities, research institutes and technology corporations worldwide.

Separately, VNU-HCM recently announced the results of the first recruitment round for its VNU350 program, an initiative aimed at attracting outstanding young scientists and leading researchers.

Fifteen candidates have qualified for interviews. They were trained at globally recognized institutions including National University of Singapore, California Institute of Technology, Seoul National University, Carnegie Mellon University, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and Trinity College Dublin.

The candidates specialize in fields ranging from engineering and natural sciences to biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, business administration and innovation.

Through the VNU350 program, VNU-HCM aims to strengthen its position as a leading research university system in Asia by recruiting and developing high-quality academic talent. The university targets the recruitment of 350 scientists by 2030 and has selected 71 so far.