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Dr Nghia (Andrew) Tran completed his formal education in Vietnam, Denmark, Spain, the United Kingdom and Australia.
His research is similarly transnational in nature and has earned him a Rising Star Emerging Scholar Certificate during the 2021 A. Noam Chomsky Global Connections Awards.
The Certificate recognises the impressive body of transnational research produced by Andrew, a Research Fellow at the ANU Research School of Management (RSM), over the last six years, which includes 20 sole or co-authored academic journal articles; seven book chapters; two books and three edited books, mostly in the areas of graduate employability, work-integrated learning, and international education.
“My research works are transnational in two ways: First, they investigate research topics outside Western contexts, embracing perspectives and practices in under-researched contexts, especially in developing countries. They contribute to diversifying concepts, practices and knowledge. Second, they involve collaborations of researchers from different countries: Vietnam, South Africa, Ethiopia, Malaysia, India, Sweden, Australia, the United States and beyond,” Andrew explains.
Throughout his career, Andrew’s focus has been on building up knowledge in others. From his time as Lecturer in Education at Can Tho University in Vietnam to his days as a PhD student at The University of Melbourne, Andrew has always focused on improving business students’ soft skills, learning experience and career-readiness.
These interests have flourished since Andrew’s arrival at the ANU College of Business and Economics (CBE) two years ago. Initially interviewing for the position of a work-integrated learning lecturer, Andrew’s portfolio has since expanded into researching student experience in work-integrated learning courses, convening CBE Internships, tutoring the Special Industry Project, developing a course for CBE’s upcoming co-op program, and supervising honours students and interns.
“One of my proudest achievements at ANU is working alongside the CBE Careers and Employability team and the tutors to not only maintain but increase the scale of CBE Internships. Despite COVID-19 restrictions, we not only successfully pivoted our internships online, but also managed to increase the number of places by 250 per cent relative to pre-pandemic. In doing so, we have prepared significantly more of our graduates for the employment challenges caused by the pandemic,” he shares with satisfaction.
“It is such a big honour for me to receive this award. It is a huge source of motivation for me to continue with my academic career, despite challenges lying ahead.”
While thrilled with the award, Andrew credits CBE’s nurturing academic community for making it possible:
“I had opportunities to conduct research with experienced academics, such as Associate Professor Ying-Yi Chih, Dr Brett Scholz and Dr Katerina Kormusheva. I have enriched my management and leadership skills by observing and receiving advice from Associate Professor Vinh Lu, Dr Bronwen Whiting, and Dr Jenni Bettman. I’ve received valuable advice from Dr Brett Scholz, and Dr Elena Capatina as my career-development mentor under the ANU NECTAR program.”
“It is fantastic to see how well Andrew has integrated into ANU life, working closely with a great team of researchers, led by his supervisor Vinh Lu. His international collaboration and recognition are remarkable,” weighs in RSM Director Professor Ofer Zwikael.
For Andrew, the Certificate is just the beginning:
“It is such a big honour for me to receive this award. It is a huge source of motivation for me to continue with my academic career, despite challenges lying ahead. The two years at CBE were an eye-opening experience, both for personal and professional growth. I feel much more confident about my future,” he sums up.