Duy Hua received his Ph.D. from SIU in chemistry in 1979 under the direction of Dr. Cal Meyers. Originally from Vietnam, Dr. Hua began his studies in Japan at Kyoto University, where he received his undergraduate degree in 1976. Dr. Hua then completed his Ph.D. just 2 years and 11 months after entering the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at SIUC, a record, perhaps. After receiving his doctorate, Dr. Hua carried out postdoctoral research at Harvard University with the noted chemist-scholar and Nobel Laureate, Dr. E. J. Corey. Dr. Hua began his independent research career as an assistant professor at Kansas State University in 1982, where he has remained ever since. Dr. Hua is an accomplished faculty member and has been recognized for his contributions to research by receiving the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, the Research Corporation Research Opportunity Award, and the Segebrecht Award for Excellence in Instruction, Research, and Publications, and the Commerce Bank Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award from Kansas State University.
Dr. Hua is an accomplished synthetic organic chemist. His research includes the development of organic molecules for a variety of medicinal and material applications including the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, cancer, retinopathy, cholesterol absorption, and nanotubes.
". . . I was born in Saigon, Vietnam in 1952. My parents were Chinese-Vietnamese and we lived between a Vietnamese and Chinese-Vietnamese neighborhood. The Chinese-Vietnamese were called by native Vietnamese as Nguoi Tau, meaning boat people.
. . . The sadness of the death of my father and older sister from illness during my high school years and the Vietnam War prompted me to apply to study overseas. After passing a competitive government examination in 1971, I was fortunate to receive a government financial support to continue my undergraduate education in Japan, in the midst of the war with North Vietnam . . .
Knowing no Japanese at all, I took a year of Japanese language, passed the Japan Ministry of Education Examination at the end of that year, and was accepted into Kyoto University, a traditional Imperial University, as a freshman in the spring of 1972. I took a part-time evening job to assist with the living expenses of my mother and younger brother and sister in Vietnam. . . Near the end of my senior year, 1975, South Vietnam was defeated and its existence ceased.
Overseas Vietnamese students, including me, became people without a nation or a home country to return to. In 1976, Japan's economic development was in its infancy. No foreigners were employed with permanent positions in Japan during that time. Fearful of the lack of certainty of my future career, I discussed with my advisor my intention of transferring to the United States for my graduate study. Prof. Nozaki kindly told me that Dr. Cal Meyers was a recent visiting professor at Kyoto University from SIU, and he would like to recommend me to Professor Meyers. . .
. . . I believe SIU and Dr. Meyers provided me the opportunity to pursue my advanced education, which opened the door to my subsequent teaching and research career.
. . . I want to stress to you graduates that your future is in your hands. When I left Vietnam in 1971, I had no idea that I would end up as a Chemistry Professor in the United States. My life became an exciting journey across many national boundaries, but it also was a personal one that I share with my wife and children. As graduates, your life is in front of you, and with enough desire and passion, your life can be an exciting journey -- meeting new people, developing your careers, having new experiences. . ."