The Catholic University of Korea (CUK) announced that Van Thuy Hoang, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Artificial Intelligence, has been awarded the Best Award (최우수상) at the 22nd Graduate School Academic Awards (제22회 대학원 학술상) Ceremony. Mr. Hoang was recognized for his outstanding research achievements in the field of graph learning and recommendation systems. This prestigious honor highlights the excellence of his work and his significant contributions to advancing artificial intelligence at CUK and beyond.
Mr. Hoang’s research focuses on graph-based machine learning, where he has developed novel graph neural network models that push the boundaries of graph representation learning. Notably, his work introduced the “Unified Graph Transformer,” a model that effectively integrates local and global network information to learn powerful graph representations. This approach achieved state-of-the-art performance on numerous benchmark datasets and was presented at the AAAI 2024 conference, underscoring the impact and international recognition of his research. In addition, he has applied graph learning to intelligent recommendation systems, designing knowledge graph-driven frameworks for real-world applications – for example, a halal cosmetic recommendation system that leverages complex relationships between products and ingredients to improve cultural relevance in recommendations.
At the 22nd Graduate School Academic Awards Ceremony, Mr. Hoang’s accomplishments earned the event’s top honor, the Best Award. This award is bestowed on the most distinguished graduate research contributions, and Mr. Hoang’s selection reflects the high esteem in which his work is held within the academic community. The recognition not only celebrates his individual excellence but also emphasizes the importance of graph-based AI research as a critical area of innovation at CUK. Mr. Hoang’s success serves as an inspiration to fellow researchers and highlights the growing impact of artificial intelligence and network science in addressing complex real-world challenges.
As the home of this achievement, CUK’s Network Science Lab has established itself as a leader in graph-based AI and machine learning research. Under the guidance of Prof. O-Joun Lee, the lab has pioneered cutting-edge graph learning methodologies and applied them to real-world domains, covering innovations such as advanced recommendation systems for offline retail environments and novel graph neural network models for molecular structure learning in chemistry. The lab’s comprehensive approach – bridging theoretical innovation with interdisciplinary collaboration – demonstrates how graph learning can drive the next generation of AI solutions. Together, Mr. Hoang and the Network Science Lab are shaping the future of AI, exemplifying innovation and impact through network science.
