Mr. Dao Manh Tri, M.Sc

Mr. Dao Manh Tri is an expert in science management and innovation leadership, with over a decade of academic and professional experience in the United States. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Center for Environmental and Climate Change Research (CECCS – under VUSTA).

Mr. Tri has designed and implemented more than 10 national and ministerial-level science and technology (S&T) projects, and is currently the Principal Investigator of a national S&T project under VUSTA. At CECCS, he also coordinates several research initiatives applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to assess and address Vietnam's environmental challenges.

Mr. Tri pursued a PhD-track Master’s program in Energy Systems at the University of California, San Diego (USA), and is expected to defend his thesis by the end of 2025. His research lies at the intersection of engineering, economics, and political science, aiming to design emission reduction pathways and foster innovation. The goal is to provide policy recommendations that enhance efficiency and reduce the cost of Vietnam’s energy transition.

Beyond research, Mr. Tri has planned and organized numerous conferences and policy dialogues across Vietnam, the United States, Austria, China, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, and more.

International Presence and Leadership

Mr. Tri’s international footprint is highlighted by his invited talks and presentations at prestigious global universities such as Princeton University, MIT, Tsinghua University, and Peking University, as well as multiple ASEAN climate forums. He currently serves as the President of GSC-Hanoi (an initiative sponsored by the World Economic Forum) and is the former President of HUB USA (under Hanoi Youth Union’s global startup network), where he led capital-raising activities and facilitated cross-border youth entrepreneurship engagement.

He is also the Co-founder and leader of the Youth4Climate Policy Working Group (YPWG), supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). In this role, he has led and organized training and dialogues on climate issues for Vietnamese youth. He is the lead author of a UNDP-published report titled:

“Shaping the Future – Integrating Youth Perspectives into Vietnam’s Just Energy Transition”

He presented this report at the Vietnamese delegation’s pavilion during COP28 in Dubai. He is also leading the team drafting the Vietnamese Youth Climate Action Roadmap, contributing to Vietnam’s upcoming Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) 2025, in collaboration with the UN–Vietnam partnership.

Media Engagement and Advisory Role

Mr. Tri has been featured multiple times on Vietnam Television (VTV), People’s Police Television, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade's media platforms, sharing expert insights on environment, climate, and energy with the public. He has also been invited as an advisor and contributor to professional training programs led by UN agencies and international organizations including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Resources Institute (WRI), and Climate Policy Initiative (CPI).

  • Best Speaker Award at the ASEAN International Conference on Energy and Environment (AICEE) for two consecutive years: 2023 (Indonesia) and 2024 (Laos).

  • Full scholarships from the European Forum Alpbach (Austria) and St. Gallen Symposium (Switzerland), with an essay ranked Top 25 out of 700+ global submissions.

  • Vingroup Overseas Master's Scholarship, ASEAN Undergraduate Scholarship (NUS, Singapore), and A*STAR Pre-University Scholarship from Singapore's Ministry of Education.

  • Runner-up at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Graduate Geothermal Energy Competition, receiving personal support and a formal invitation to an honorary event from the Mayor of Cascade, Idaho, where he helped pilot a local energy project.

  • Champion of the U.S. International Energy Economics Case Competition hosted by the United States Association for Energy Economics (USAEE).

  • Honorable Mention at the Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM).

  • Champion of the Boeing–Drexel Business Oratory Competition.

Selected International Awards and Achievements

Academic Excellence from Early Years

From his high school years, Mr. Tri was awarded the Gold Cup at the Singapore Science & Engineering Fair (SSEF)— a testament to his enduring passion for science. During that period, he amassed a total of 14 medals and awards in national and international academic competitions and Olympiads, including:

Mathematics:
6 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze (or equivalent)

Chemistry:
1 Silver, 1 Bronze (or equivalent)

Physics:
2 Bronze Medals